Country singer Thomas Rhett was visibly stunned during his live performance on the Today Show when host Hoda Kotb handed the mic to a dedicated fan in the audience. Thomas, 34, was in New York City to promote his new album, *About A Woman,* as part of Today’s Citi Concert Series. But the real surprise came when an audience member wowed him with her singing skills.After Thomas performed his song *Crash and Burn,* Hoda, who had recently turned 60, announced to the audience: “Okay, we have some great people here, but I’m looking for someone specific… she’s a schoolteacher from Long Island.” Hoda then introduced the fan, saying, “Her name is Sydney.” Approaching the excited woman, Hoda asked, “Are you ready? Do you love singing Thomas Rhett songs?” Sydney responded enthusiastically, and Hoda invited her to sing.As Sydney started to sing *Beautiful As You,* Thomas looked visibly shocked, nodding along to her voice and exclaiming, “Oh, okay!” Clearly impressed, he quickly approached Sydney, giving her a big hug as Hoda laughed at their interaction. “Thank you so much,”
Thomas told her, then turned to the crowd and said, “Everybody, one more time, say ‘That was amazing, Sydney!’ Holy, holy!” When he asked Hoda if she knew about Sydney’s talent, she replied, “We had a feeling! She’s got it,” and Thomas agreed.Earlier in the show, Hoda and her cohosts, Al Roker and Sheinelle Jones, chatted with Thomas about his new album, which had just been released. Thomas admitted, “I feel calmer than with the other ones, that’s for sure. I just wanted to make people smile with this record, bring joy, and make you dance—especially my wife over there. She asked me to make this record to make her dance.”The camera then panned to Thomas’ wife, Lauren Akins, who was in the audience, waving. Thomas gushed, “She’s the best. What you see is what you get. She’s the most authentic person I know and the most beautiful human being I’ve ever seen. We’re about to celebrate 12 years of marriage in October, which is amazing,” as the crowd cheered.When Al, 70, asked Thomas what his four daughters thought of the album, Thomas shared, “This is their favorite one because there’s only one ballad on the record, and ballads make them fall asleep! I tried to keep it upbeat for my kids, and I think it worked!” Hoda then congratulated him and Lauren for managing life with “four girls under 10.”Speaking about fatherhood, Thomas said, “It’s amazing. I’ve got a third grader, a first grader, and two in preschool. It’s a lot, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”His comments came shortly after Lauren opened up in a YouTube video titled *Lauren Akins – This Wasn’t The Plan* about the struggles they faced early in their marriage. She revealed that the couple had reached a breaking point during the height of Thomas’ career and admitted to resenting him for pursuing his dreams while she cared for their children at home.