Lauren Daigle Surprises 'American Idol' Contestant Auditioning for Show with Her Hit 'You Say'

Singer Lauren Daigle is back where she started — on the American Idol stage!

Daigle, 31, paid a visit to the set of the hit ABC series to surprise a contestant auditioning for the judges with Daigle's 2018 hit "You Say."

In a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE ahead of season 21's Sunday premiere, a young female hopeful tells Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan that she'll be singing Daigle's song.

Outside, unbeknownst to her, host Ryan Seacrest reveals that Daigle is actually on set, having performed a show in Las Vegas the night before.

"Oh my God, she's gonna go crazy! I'm shaking," says a woman on hand to support the contestant.

After Daigle quips that the girl may not even know "what I look like," the woman assures her she will: "She does, honey, she loves you!"

As the two-time Grammy winner enters the auditioning room, the girl is belting "You Say," prompting the star to join in — much to the shock of the judges.

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ABC

"Only on American Idol!" a flabbergasted Perry yells as Daigle and the contestant share a hug.

Daigle auditioned unsuccessfully for American Idol several times before breaking through on her own with her 2015 debut album How Can It Be.

She appeared on the show to perform "You Say" over Zoom with finalist Just Sam in 2020, and in 2021, made her debut on the big stage singing her hit "Look Up Child."

After the latter performance, Daigle shared a video on Facebook joking about her journey on the show and her excitement at finally getting to play on the big stage.

"Just finished American Idol and this is the first time ever that I've gotten to play on the big show, 'cause I was cut when I was a contestant!" she said in the video. "How fun is that?"

Daigle is set to perform next month at the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo alongside stars like Chris Stapleton and Kenny Chesney, while Idol will debut its 21st season premiere on Sunday on ABC.