Carrie Underwood returned to American Idol to serve as a mentor to the Top 5 contestants of Season 20. Underwood was the perfect person to coach the five singers, since she won Season 4 of Idol in 2005.
One of the artists Underwood mentored was 19-year-old Noah Thompson. The Kentucky native previously did construction work before a co-worker encouraged him to audition for Idol. He also has a baby son named Walker, and dreams of giving him the best life possible.
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Unlike the other contestants, Thompson was unable to meet Underwood in person. He tested positive for COVID-19, so they communicated over a video call.
Although Underwood didn’t get to see Thompson in person, she still felt a strong connection to him. His story struck a chord with her, because he reminded her of her past self.
As she spoke about Thompson, Underwood broke down in tears, saying:
“I do feel like this show was created for people like me, for people like Noah who didn’t know to dream that big but knew that they wanted to do something. So it’s a beautiful thing. I mean I think back and that’s a decision that changed my entire life. I have no idea where I’d be. And to see contestants get every opportunity they’ve ever wanted is just magical.”
On competition day, Thompson delivered a cover of Underwood’s #1 hit from 2007, “So Small.” You can watch that performance in the video below, along with Thompson’s full mentoring session with Underwood.
Thompson has been a fan-favorite from the start of the season. So it came as no surprise when it was announced that he made it into the Top 3.
Next week, Thompson will compete against HunterGirl and Leah Marlene in the finale. Stay tuned to see if he wins!