Chart-topping, Grammy-winning musician Brandon Lake appeared multiple times on season 23 of “American Idol,” making dreams come true for numerous star-struck contestants, including third-place finisher Breanna Nix, who now appears on his new deluxe album, “King Of Hearts.”

But his favorite moment of the season — and maybe his whole life — was getting star-struck meeting one of his idols, country superstar Carrie Underwood, who won the show in 2005 and returned as a judge in 2025.

On June 17, KLOVE posted a social media video of Lake serving as a special guest DJ and sharing stories on-air, including realizing that he “screamed like a little girl” while meeting Underwood, in front of millions of TV viewers.

Brandon Lake Calls Meeting Carrie Underwood a ‘Crazy Moment’

In the segment that KLOVE shared, Lake said, “I gotta be honest with you, I had a crazy moment a few weeks ago. People often ask me, because I get to rub shoulders with some heroes of mine, if I ever fangirled — or fanboyed, I should say — and y’all, I never thought it would happen. But I screamed like a little girl on live television.”

“I met the one and only Carrie Underwood you guys,” he marveled. “And after I performed with Jelly Roll and I got a chance to meet her, and y’all, I never know what I’m gonna say or do, and I just screamed. I just was like, ‘Aaahhhh!’”

In KLOVE’s post, the video cut to the actual footage from “American Idol,” when host Ryan Seacrest asked whether Underwood had ever met Lake, who scored a huge hit with Jelly Roll this year on “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”

“I have not met him,” Underwood beamed from the judges’ table, “but he’s a staple in our house, in our car,” to which Lake replied, “I’ve been waiting for this day” before he squealed and hugged her.

Back in the KLOVE Studio, still recalling that live moment on-air, Lake said, “We embraced each other, and just got to chat for a second.”

“Man, I was so incredibly honored,” Lake continued. “Obviously, she’s a staple in my household. We love country music, we love Christian music, and man, there’s some beautiful things happening with the crossover of of those two kind of genres.”

While Underwood is best known for her country hits, she also won a Grammy for her gospel album, “My Savior,” and received rave reviews for her performance of “How Great Thou Art” on the Easter night episode of “American Idol.”

Reflecting on meeting Underwood, Lake concluded, “So, man, that was an all-time favorite moment I think I’ll have and cherish forever.”

Shortly after the moment happened on “American Idol,” Lake told Audacy that he was blown away hearing that Underwood and her family listen to his inspirational music.

“It’s still blowing my mind, I can’t believe it,” he admitted. “To find out that she respects what I do, what I’ve done, is crazy. And to know that — and I think this goes for anyone, not just a celebrity — but to know that, like, there’s people out there (for whom) this music is actually, like, it’s their go-to to get them through another day, it’s like, why we do what we do.”