Tristan McIntosh may have had great supporters cheering her on during her American Idol audition, but she still wished her mom could be there with her, too.

Her mother, Major Amy McIntosh, was serving in the Middle East at the time — or so Tristan thought.

“Me and my mom are like really close,” Tristan told the American Idol cameras. “She kind of knows me better than I know myself, and it’s just a really weird feeling that she’s not here for something of this magnitude.”

The Nashville native, 15, performed Mickey Guyton’s “Why Baby Why” while playing the piano and blew the judges away with her talent. Jennifer Lopez compared the young vocalist to superstar Alicia Keys, and also said she believes Tristan’s military mom would be proud.

Aside from praise from the judges, Tristan got one more incredible surprise: a visit from her proud mama. The moment was full of emotions (much like the time a widower performed on X Factor). It even had judge Keith Urban tearing up.

“It was super-important for me to be here,” Major McIntosh said. “There was no way that I was going to miss this iconic moment in her life.”
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