In a moment that left the American Idol stage trembling with raw emotion, Ethan Senger’s duet with his mom had Carrie Underwood fighting to hold back tears. As a mother of two boys herself, Carrie couldn’t help but be moved by the way Ethan’s mom looked at him during their audition, a bond so deep it reached into her own heart. As the judges spoke, Carrie admitted she was struggling to keep it together, her heartstrings pulled tight by the love between mother and son.

At the judges’ request, Ethan Senger brought his mom into the American Idol audition room for a duet. What happened next was so touching it brought Carrie Underwood to tears.

24-year-old Senger grew up in a musical family. His dad was a guitar player and his mom is a singer. Senger himself is now a professional musician, and he sings with his mom on occasion.

His mama waited outside the audition room as he sang Keith Urban‘s #1 hit from 2002, “Somebody Like You.” The track is naturally energetic, but Luke Bryan felt like Senger was rushing too much.

Bryan interrupted the performance several times, first telling Senger to “open [his] mouth a little bit.” Then, he jumped in to say, “Just slow it down a hair…let’s hear you really sing this thing.”

Senger listened to Bryan’s feedback and slowed down so the judges could fully grasp the depth of his talent. They were impressed and made that obvious when they spoke to him:

“I’m sorry, I started yelling a little bit at you,” Bryan apologized. “But listen, dude, you’ve got cool, cool things going on.”

Lionel Richie agreed, saying, “You have some true PO-tential.”

Then, Bryan asked Senger if he’d like to bring his mom in so they could sing together. As he walked away to get her, Carrie Underwood thanked Bryan for giving Senger some direction during his audition.

“Thank you for asking him to do more,” Underwood said. “There was nothing wrong…I needed more right.”

Ethan Senger Makes Carrie Underwood Cry After Singing With His Mom

Senger brought his “nervous” mom into the room, and the judges greeted her warmly. He said they often sing Glen Hansford and Marketa Irglova’s “Falling Slowly,” so that’s the song they performed at that moment.

The judges looked on in awe as the mother-son duo delivered their heart-tugging duet. Underwood had tears in her eyes as she watched them sing.

Once the song ended, all three judges rose to their feet to give Senger and his mom a well-earned standing ovation.

As they offered their commentary, Underwood confessed she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She started crying as she said:

“…as a mom with boys, the way you look at him is so sweet…I was just like, hold it together.“

She gave Senger a quick “yes” vote, and Richie and Bryan soon followed suit. He’s going to Hollywood!

Tune into the video below to see Ethan Senger’s Idol audition, his duet with his mom, and Carrie Underwood’s emotional response.

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