Carrie Underwood insists in her latest single, "Cry Pretty," that it's impossible to show your deepest emotions and look beautiful. However, she belied this theme yet again, performing the song for American Idol on Mother's Day (May 13), and looking flawless as ever.

Underwood took the stage in her now-iconic glittery teardrop eye makeup, which is synonymous with the single's message and prominent in the music video for the song, which debuted on Idol the week before.

The country superstar made a special appearance on the show Sunday as they paid homage to her as the most successful Idol winner ever — the Top 5 contestants were required to sing one song each from Underwood's catalog. She also hopped on board to mentor the hopefuls firsthand as they tackled some of her most challenging hits.

"They’re bringing it tonight, they mean business," she noted of the Top 5. "This is life changing, this is real, this is their dreams coming true."

"Cry Pretty" is the first song from Underwood's next studio album, her first in nearly three years and her first on UMG Nashville after a post-Idol career spent on Sony Music Nashville. The album is also called Cry Pretty and will be released on Sept.14.

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