Jelly Roll discovered a touching similarity to "American Idol" contestant Mia Matthews during the April 8 episode of the show.
On the program, Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, practically broke down in tears after he talked to Matthews at Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii and heard her story about her father.
"My dad was Hawaiian," she told the country star.
"This is my first time here. He passed away before we were able to come, so it's been a really emotional and meaningful trip," Matthews said. "This place is very special."
The singer then gave Jelly Roll a taste of her upcoming "American Idol" performance and started singing "Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn.
She explained she chose that song because her father was a carpenter and she remembered the look of his hands.
While Matthews sang a high note in the chorus, Jelly Roll started to cry.
"Every minute with Mia for me was probably the most emotional of the day because I was so connected to my father," he said in a separate interview.
"I lost my father in 2019," he told Matthews while fighting back tears. "It's so brave of you to pick that song. It's probably the single hardest experience I've ever had."
In his confessional, Jelly Roll explained that he got emotional because of how beautifully Matthews had sang the song.
"It was the lyrics grabbing me, but it was the texture of her voice, like she sang that song like she wrote that song," the "Wild Ones" singer said.
The camera then panned back to the duo, when Jelly Roll told Matthews, "There was a moment where you looked right in that camera and I seen your soul. I seen your daddy's soul."
At the end of their talk, he jokingly told Matthews that he hated her for making him cry.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you, too," he replied.
Matthews went on to wow the judges when she sang "Daddy's Hands" on the "American Idol" stage. As she made her way through the song, Jelly Roll looked on at her in amazement.
