Carrie Underwood is back in the studio, if you assume the photo she posted on Instagram Wednesday morning (April 4) is new.

It's really the first close-up shot we've seen of Underwood in a few months — at least one where she wasn't hidden behind an object or intentionally distorted. The superstar suffered a bad fall after the CMA Awards last year and needed more than 40 stitches to repair undisclosed injuries to her face.

But this new picture shows the same focused, hard-working Underwood we've always known.

Carrie Underwood Opens Up About Her Injuries

In an open letter to fans in January, Underwood said she may not look the same when they next see her. "Now, here we are 7 weeks later and, even though I’ve had the best people helping me, I’m still healing and not quite looking the same," she previously wrote. "I honestly don’t know how things are going to end up but I do know this: I am grateful. I am grateful that it wasn’t much, much worse."

It was a shocking reveal that she'd received 40-50 facial stitches after her November accident, which also resulted in a broken wrist. She later underwent wrist surgery.

Now that she's on the mend, it seems she's cutting songs for her long-anticipated sixth studio album, which will be her first release on Capitol Records. We'll be seeing a lot more of her, as she says she is also ready to celebrate the Nashville Predators — who are the first NHL team to earn a spot in the upcoming playoffs — by singing the National Anthem this weekend.

And Underwood has surprises up her sleeve.

"Last year, I was so proud to be the Captain’s wife and loved being able to contribute to the excitement of the playoffs by coming out to perform the anthem at the first game," Underwood writes in an email to Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. "I had so much fun and wanted to continue to support the team by asking a few of my friends to get in on the action. Like all of the Preds fans, I’m thrilled that Mike is back on the ice and I love that we are able to bring the music and hockey worlds together this way."

See Photos of Carrie Underwood + Mike Fisher Through the Years

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