"I saw the full you" — American Idol guest mentor Miranda Lambert gets emotional after Mattie Pruitt delivers heartfelt cover of her song

In American Idol season 23 episode 15, Mattie Pruitt chose to sing guest judge Miranda Lambert's song The House That Built Me. Initially, she was just thinking about performing the song for the guest judge during the rehearsals. However, after a bit of encouragement from Lambert, Pruitt decided to perform the song on the stage.

Pruitt’s heartfelt rendition of Lambert’s song deeply moved the audience, bringing not only herself to tears but also evoking an emotional response from Lambert, who was seen wiping away tears.

After the performance, the guest mentor told Pruitt that while she had initially hoped to see her true self, she now felt she had seen every part of it through the way she was singing her song.

“I wanted to see you, and I saw the full you,” Lambert told Pruitt.

American Idol star Miranda Lambert's Ladies' Night performance explored

American Idol season 23 episode 15, Ladies' Night, premiered on ABC on May 4. The live episode featured the Top 10 contestants performing songs that celebrated the iconic women in the music industry.

Miranda Lambert was brought in as the guest judge for the episode, and she put all of her efforts into guiding the contestants and helping them through their rehearsals, providing tips and suggestions.

Since it was a live episode, the performances and the voting from the viewers were happening in real time. By the end of the episodes, the results were in, and two out of the 10 performing contestants were eliminated. Meanwhile, the rest made the Top 8, advancing to the next round.

Mattie Pruitt was among the eight contestants to advance after she presented her rendition of guest mentor Miranda Lambert's song The House That Built Me.

When Pruitt first met the guest mentor, she wasn't able to control her emotions and was so excited that she wanted to cry. The American Idol contestant even shared during the episode that Lambert was one of her biggest country music inspirations, and she wanted to honor her contributions by performing a cover of her song.

Initially, Pruitt decided to sing the song just in front of Lambert. However, the guest mentor wanted her to perform for the whole world and encouraged her to do so.

“I want you to let Mattie fully shine through. I’ve been watching you and I feel like I haven’t gotten to know exactly the whole Mattie yet, and I want to see her,” Lambert told Mattie.

Despite not having played guitar in front of anybody before, Pruitt hit the stage with just an acoustic guitar and performed The House That Built Me without being backed by American Idol's on-set band.

After her performance, Pruitt got visibly emotional, even trying to fight back her tears as the judges gave their feedback. Lionel Richie praised the contestant for holding her "emotions perfectly," as it allowed him to feel every moment of her performance.

Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood called her "brilliant" and revealed that her presentation also made her emotional, and towards the end, she was also trying to hold back her tears.

“We were hanging on every single note, every single word. That was really quite brilliant, and towards the end, I’m just trying to hold my own tears in,” the American Idol season 23 judge said.

Guest mentor Lambert, who was watching Pruitt's performance from the sidelines, shed some tears. She later told Pruitt that she was able to see the full version of her true self through her presentation.

Watch new episodes of American Idol season 23 every Sunday-Monday on ABC. Stream them on Hulu a day later.

​