Luke Bryan Had One of His “Favorite” ‘American Idol’ Moments When He Asked This Single Mom To Redo Her Audition (and She Nailed It)

Luke Bryan is still having unforgettable American Idol moments. During the Season 24 premiere of the competition series, Bryan experienced one of his favorite moments ever as a judge.

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The special moment occurred when Keyla Richardson of Pensacola, Florida, stepped in to audition. A single mom and music teacher, the 29-year-old singer opened up about her past ahead of her big audition.

“Music wasn’t a natural passion for me. I knew I could sing. Everyone around me believed in me but me,” she said. “… I grew up in the church. I grew up singing, but I just felt like I wasn’t good enough. Nobody saw me. Nobody heard me. I had to make up in my mind, ‘You can do this. Whatever you make up your mind to do you can do it.’”

With that in her mind, and her son as her support system, Richardson decided to audition for the show to give music “one more try.” She did so with Pink’s track “Glitter in the Air,” wowing Bryan and his fellow judges, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie With her performance.

Luke Bryan Asked This Contestant To Redo Her Audition (and She Nailed It)

After some feedback from the judges, Bryan asked Richardson to redo her audition performance while allowing more room for the big notes to breathe.

Richardson only improved with Bryan’s coaching, and her son was there to watch her accomplishment.

“Did you hear your mom?” Underwood asked the little boy after Richardson’s repeat performance. “Did you hear how great she did? We love her.”

Bryan concurred as he broke down in tears, stating, “Oh man, when you felt confident, the way you just sang that with confidence, you have a voice that will make people stop in their tracks… I can’t believe you’re 29, and you haven’t been in our life yet.”

The other two judges agreed with Bryan’s assessment, resulting in three yeses for Richardson, who earned a Golden Ticket to Hollywood Week.

The sweet moment ended with Richardson’s son expertly performing his own song for the judges. After the fact, Bryan looked at the other judges, telling them, “That may have been one of my favorite moments I’ve ever had on this show.”

American Idol airs Mondays on ABC.

Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for ACM