‘American Idol’ singer's powerful song moved Carrie Underwood to tears — and the whole room felt it
'American Idol' judge Carrie Underwood isn't afraid to show her sensitive side in front of the cameras! During a new teaser of the beloved singing competition, the 'If I Didn't Love You' hitmaker broke down in tears after watching an emotional performance by a contestant. In the teaser, which was released on YouTube on February 13, 2025, some contestants can be seen auditioning for the ABC singing show, and it appears that one of the auditions struck an emotional chord in Underwood's heart, and she couldn't hold back her tears. The teaser showed Mrs. Davis, a high school English teacher, walking into the room, but stated that she was not the one giving the audition.
Shortly afterward, Davis revealed that one of her students, Slater Nalley, wrote a song for her son, Carter, who was killed many years ago, and he wanted to sing the song during his audition on 'American Idol.' Following that, Nalley stepped into the room for his audition, and the judges told him he had the "coolest introduction ever" because of his teacher. At that point, Nalley disclosed that he didn't know Carter personally, but after learning about him, he felt a presence come into his life.
As per a report by The US Sun, Nalley went on to say, "I knew I needed to do something." Nalley shared that the song he had penned down for Carter was called 'Traces of You'. Soon after, the teacher gushed over the song and exclaimed, "It captured Carter." Along with this, Davis also mentioned that the song revolved around the themes of 'light and hope'. Nalley took over the stage and performed an acoustic version of the heartwarming song while strumming his guitar.
During his audition, Nalley delivered a heartfelt performance, crooning evocative lines like, "Your life was like a river running home" and "The boy whose eyes flickered like the light before it goes." His emotional lyrics continued with, "In the dark nights you always found the sun," and "One look at you, I'd just come undone." As the performance built, he added another stirring line: "Now you visit me in shadows." Toward the end of the song, Nalley looked upward and sang, "Somewhere past the sky, I can feel you dancing in the air," leaving the room heavy with emotion.
Throughout the entire performance, Underwood had tears in her eyes. By the end of Nalley's audition, the former 'American Idol' winner was way too overwhelmed with emotions, and it was pretty evident on her face. Underwood gushed over Nalley's vocals and quipped, "I couldn't have imagined you doing that any better." Underwood grabbed a tissue to wipe the tears off her face. Right after, Underwood's fellow judge, Luke Bryan, who looked concerned for Underwood, tried to console her and asked her, "You OK over there?" while putting his arm around her in a comforting manner. In her response to Bryan's question, Underwood uttered, "I'm not okay." In order to calm her down, both Bryan and Lionel Richie hugged her. On the other hand, judge Lionel Richie admired Nalley's lyric "like a river running home," and enthused, "You got the blues, man."
