‘The Voice’: Reba McEntire Brought To Tears By A 20-Year Old Contestant’s Whitney Houston Cover: “I Saw You Get So Emotionally Involved”

Monday night’s (Oct. 16) episode of The Voice marked the final round of Blind Auditions, and one particular performance was full of turning chairs and tearful judges.

Dylan Carter, a 20-year-old vocalist from South Carolina gave a beautiful rendition of Whitney Houston‘s “I Look To You” in honor of his late mother, which prompted all four judges to turn their chairs just 32 seconds into his performance. While Gwen Stefani was the first to turn at 18 seconds in, it was new judge Reba McEntire who ultimately connected the strongest with Carter.

“I love the songs when you can take it spiritual or secular, either one,” McEntire told Carter.

She noted that she “saw” and “heard” the emotion in his voice after seeing him “get so emotionally involved.”

“And that’s when you know you’ve got a great song and a great singer, when it touches your heart,” she added. “So, great work on that.”

“To me, as a performer, that is when you really hone into why you’re put on this Earth, [which] is to touch people’s hearts,” she continued. “And you did.”

Fellow judge Niall Horan then chimed in, quipping that Carter “made the queen cry in the best way possible,” before adding, “You only get four chairs if it really moves the room.”

John Legend, who also was brought to tears by the audition, said that “it feels like the emotion of the song is really real to” Carter, which he affirmed by sharing his story.

“When I saw y’all turn around, I saw my mom,” Carter said. “She passed back in October, and she wanted me to sing it at her funeral. So I did it, I tried, but I couldn’t make it through it, so this was the best second chance. I just made her so proud.”

According to Yahoo! Entertainment, Carter’s mother was only 47 when she died of a sudden heart blockage.

McEntire then recalled how influential her own mother — who passed away in 2020 — was when she was first starting out as a country artist.

“When I had the opportunity to go to Nashville to meet with some folks, Mama took me,” she explained. “She said, ‘Reba, if you don’t want to do this, let’s turn around and go back home. But let me tell you something: If you do this, I’ll be living my dreams through you.'”

“That’s how this feels,” Carter replied, reciprocating McEntire’s sentiments. “I hear her through me.”

“Mamas are so special,” McEntire said. We’re very blessed to have them.”

While he claimed it was “so hard” to choose, Carter ultimately selected McEntire as his coach, who was one of his mother’s favorite artists.

“Something told me to go with Reba. She could be a comforting mom figure for me,” he said, per USA Today. “She’d welcome me in, make me feel confident and show me how to use my voice.”

The Voice airs on Mondays at 8/7c on NBC. Watch Carter’s performance above.