‘The Voice’: Dylan Carter’s Emotional Audition Makes Reba McEntire Cry (VIDEO)

NBC/YouTube

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house on Monday’s (October 16) episode of The Voice as 20-year-old Dylan Carter delivered a raw and emotional rendition of Whitney Houston‘s “I Look to You.”

The South Carolina native earned four chair turns with his heartfelt performance, which he sang in tribute to his mom, who recently passed away. In his video package, Carter explained that he’d tried to sing the Whitney classic at his mother’s funeral but was too overcome with grief to finish the performance.

While the emotion was still present in his audition performance, Carter managed to make it through the song, winning over the studio audience and the coaches. Country icon Reba McEntire was especially struck by the performance and had high praise for the young singer.

“I saw it and I felt it. I heard it when you were singing. That’s the kind of songs that make… that do that to me, too,” McEntire said, getting choked up. “Because I saw you 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 continued, “To me, as a performer, that is when you really hone into why you’re put on this Earth, is to touch people’s hearts. And you did.”

The other coaches were blown away by Carter’s performance, too, with Niall Horan saying, “You made the queen cry… in the best way possible. That was spectacular. I could really feel the emotion. You only get four chairs if it really moves the room.”

“From the moment you opened your mouth, I was like, ‘This is my guy.’ I love your voice,” Gwen Stefani added, trying to win Carter over to her team. “Your voice is so warm, but you also have so much texture to your voice. Little nuances you were doing at the right exact moments that make it feel emotional.”

John Legend was up next and pointed out how the emotion of the song felt real to Carter. That’s when the hopeful explained, “When I saw you all turn around, I saw my mom. She passed back in October. She wanted me to sing it at her funeral. So, I did it, I tried, but I couldn’t make it through it. This was the best second chance. I made her so proud.”

NBC/YouTube

“Now, I’m crying,” Legend said as a tear rolled down his cheek. “We are all very grateful we get to do this show, and we get to meet people like you. And we get to give you the opportunity to perform this song in tribute to your mother. And we all felt it, too. I know your mother is proud of you.”

After hearing Carter’s reason for singing that particular song, McEntire shared her own story about her mother.

“When I had the opportunity to go to Nashville to meet with some folks, Mama took me,” she shared. “I kept saying, ‘Let’s pull over here. Let’s pull over here.’ And finally, 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.’ And I said, ‘Shoot fire, mama. Why didn’t you say that at the beginning? Let’s go.’”

This emotional connection was enough for Carter to pick McEntire as his coach, filling the last spot on Team Reba.