Keith Urban was deeply moved by Kelly Clarkson’s powerhouse vocals and the emotional, quavering notes she hit while performing “Piece by Piece” on American Idol in 2015.

The former The Voice Coach and The Kelly Clarkson Show host sang the moving tune while Urban watched from the judges’ table (he was an AI judge then), visibly touched. (Fun fact: Urban was the Season 25 Mega Mentor on The Voice!)

Around the three-minute mark of the performance, you can clearly see Urban shed a tear (or two), and Clarkson’s voice breaks around the same time. It’s so sweet. Clarkson then explains that part of her reaction was due to pregnancy hormones.

About “Piece by Piece” by Kelly Clarkson

“Piece by Piece” was released in 2015 as part of the album of the same name.

Clarkson recently changed the song’s lyrics to reflect her current life. She swapped “he” for “I” in certain sections. “He never walks away / He never asks for money / He takes care of me / He loves me,” Clarkson sang in the original version. The words are now, “I just walk away / when they ask for money / I take care of me / ’cause I love me,” per Entertainment Weekly.

The album Piece by Piece was released in February 2015 and reached number-one on the Billboard 200 chart. The title track was released as the album’s third single and reached number-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Keith Urban teared up speaking about his wife Nicole Kidman

When the American Film Institute honored Kidman in June 2024, Urban teared up as he gave a speech, saying of Kidman, “Nic has such a truly otherworldly aura about her, and I felt a bit like I was meeting a real-life princess.”

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on the carpet of the 2024 Met Gala

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban attend the 2024 Costume Institute Benefit for “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024 in New York City. Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images

“She also has a bit of a mantra, and that is: Choose love. Now I’ve watched her do this many times, navigating emotionally complex things that she’s gone through with so many people. She always chooses that phrase; she lives by it. Choose love,” he added, explaining how his wife stuck by him when he entered rehab early in their marriage.

So if you’re wondering what was on Urban’s mind as he listened to Clarkson sing “Piece by Piece,” it was definitely Kidman.