“Idol” Star John Foster Makes Carrie Underwood “Feel Like A Proud Mom”

John Foster Has Advanced Into The Top 10 On American Idol

Carrie Underwood is incredibly proud of John Foster’s progress throughout his time on American Idol.

When the 18-year-old aspiring oncologist auditioned for Season 23, the judges weren’t initially convinced. His rendition of Alan Jackson’s “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” left them wanting something more.

Carrie suggested he try another song, and he launched into a cover of Conway Twitty’s “Goodbye Time.” Luke Bryan was fully prepared to vote “no,” but the “Goodbye Time” cover flipped his vote to a “yes.” Carrie and Lionel Richie also voted “yes,” so John earned a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.

John has continued to prove himself throughout the competition and has become a bit of a dark horse contestant. He advanced through Hollywood and Hawaii to make it to Idol‘s “Songs of Faith” special, which aired on Easter Sunday.

During the program, John performed an original song he wrote in tribute to two of his close friends who were killed in a car accident on New Year’s Eve. The heart-wrenching performance moved everyone to tears and further endeared John to Idol fans.

Since then, John has amazed viewers with performances of iconic tracks such as “Neon Moon” and “Jailhouse Rock.” The latter performance made Carrie compare him to country music icon Dwight Yoakam.

John has now advanced into Idol‘s Top 10, proving his popularity with fans far and wide.

Carrie Underwood Says John Foster Reminds Her Of Her Son

Speaking to PEOPLE after the Top 10 were revealed, Carrie shared how proud she is of John and why she’s a huge fan of his.

“Week to week, we have watched him progress so much,” Carrie said. “We were talking after his performance…we were just saying he’s probably the one that has grown the most since he’s been here.“

“When [John is] over there singing to me, I kind of feel like a proud mom. He’s very good,” Carrie said.

For his most recent Idol performance, John covered Randy Travis‘ “I Told You So.” Carrie recorded a cover of the song and released it in 2007. She and Randy released a duet version in 2009.

Fully aware of Carrie’s connection to “I Told You So,” John made the bold decision to sing it directly to her at one point. He said:

“The fact that she was sitting there on the panel…the pressure was on. She has such a great version of the song but I knew that I had to sing to her and I knew that I had to let America know my passion for the song and music by connecting with her.”

We’d say John accomplished his goal, because Carrie is a professed fan of his! Plus, his version of “I Told You So” already has over 5.8 million views on Facebook. Watch the video below.