Nashville-based singer JJ Higgins may not have scored any chair turns during his Blind Audition on The Voice, but he still created one of the most powerful moments of the episode on Monday night (March 11).

Higgins’ song selection — “Return to Pooh Corner,” the title track of Kenny Loggins’ 1994 children’s album — was mid-tempo and understated, and perhaps that’s why none of the coaches turned their chairs for him. Though he has a strong voice, Higgins’ song choice didn’t quite give him the chance to demonstrate the full scope of his vocal capabilities.

Still, the hopeful had a gripping personal reason for choosing the song that he did, and it was enough to leave the coaches, and undoubtedly a good portion of the audience, a little misty-eyed.

“When my wife was pregnant with our son, she was on bedrest for 30 weeks. I’d come home late at night and she’d be awake and I’d go, ‘Why aren’t you sleeping?’ She goes, ‘He won’t settle down,” Higgins recounted when the coaches asked him why he chose to sing “Return to Pooh Corner.”

Higgins would get down on his knees and sing to his pregnant wife’s belly, and without fail, their unborn son would settle down for the night. “He’s 12 now. And to this day, when he’s not feeling good, he’ll go, ‘Hey dad, can you sing that song?'” he continued.

Higgins and his wife went through tragedy before they were finally able to meet their son: As he explained elsewhere on Monday night’s episode, the couple’s first child died at a month old, after a lengthy neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay.

For Higgins, Loggins’ song is a symbol of family and hope. Though his performance didn’t result in a Voice placement, it brought him a hard-earned platform to share his message. “I think just the experience of telling my story, that was all I needed,” he said from the stage.

As if the performance weren’t emotional enough on its own, Higgins also had his son waiting in the wings, and at the request of the judges, he came out onstage to share a hug with his father. “You did great. I love you,” the young boy told his dad.

“I’m gonna cry!” Coach Chance the Rapper admitted, as both members of Dan + Shay nodded in agreement.

“Moments like this are bigger than this show and any kind of success in music,” Shay Mooney added. “It goes beyond anything. I’m gonna cry up here thinking about my little boys. You should be proud of the man that you are.”

The Voice is currently wrapping up Blind Auditions. New episodes air Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.