Aniston Pate earned the ultimate compliment from Richie.

After Sunday night’s Nashville auditions episode, Emmy Russell is no longer the only American Idol contestant with ties to country music royalty.

Tractor driver Aniston Pate’s performance of “Hummingbird,” an original song inspired by her mother, earned the ultimate compliment from Lionel Richie: a comparison to Dolly Parton herself.

“About halfway through the first verse I had to open my eyes and go ‘Is that you Dolly?’” Richie told a flabbergasted Pate.

“But only in the way Dolly tells stories. It was very honest, solid, and natural. And positively you.”

Luke Bryan and Katy Perry also signed off on the Texas native, officially sending her off to the next round of competition in Hollywood.

“I love that song and I love the melody in the middle of the chorus. It was great,” Bryan said, while Perry told her that she’s “on her way to being a great songwriter.”

Pate shared her reaction to the experience in an Instagram post Monday.

“I’m just feeling so thankful. And so blessed,” she told her growing number of fans.

American Idol airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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