‘You are the reason "American Idol" works’: Luke Bryan is moved to tears over contestant’s performance

Megan Danielle wowed the "American Idol" judges on the April 30 episode of the singing competition.

The Georgia native sang “Angel From Montgomery,” recorded by artists including Bonnie Raitt. During her prep session with mentor Adam Lambert, he told her, "You're doing it all right. You're the reason why this show works."

"It's people like Megan that make 'American Idol' so exciting to watch. The fact that she doesn't realize how talented she is," he later told the camera. "She's got real potential to be a big star as long as she believes that she can be a big star."

The singer has a soulful rasp to her voice suited for country music and "Angel From Montgomery."

"I am an old woman/ Named after my mother/ My old man has another/ Child that’s grown old/ If dreams were thunder/ And lightnin’ was desire/ This old house would’ve burnt down/ At a long time ago," she sang with some twang.

When she finished, judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie were on their feet high-fiving each other and Katy Perry threw her hands in, too.

"I'm a mess," a teary-eyed Bryan said. "I'm a mess. I'm so emotional about what you just did because what you just did will stand up in any room around the world. At the Grammys, any award show that I've ever been to, that performance will stand up anywhere.

"What Adam Lambert told you was so right," he continued. "You are the reason 'American Idol' works. That was absolutely incredible."

Richie, who is performing at King Charles III's coronation concert this coming weekend, cosigned what Bryan said.

"I don't have to say any more than what Luke said," Richie said. "It's ditto. It was just a stellar performance. Stellar. Killer."

"Remember when I was walking away last week and I said, 'Do you finally believe?'" Perry asked Danielle. "And you said, 'Yes I do. Yes ma'am,' I think you said. And actually, I finally believe in you 100%.

"You brought it," she added. "You got your wings."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com