A 14-year-old AGT singer’s emotional cover of You Don’t Own Me was so stunning that it earned a rare Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel.
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Reid Wilson appeared on America’s Got Talent’s July 9th installment and shared a brief backstory before taking the stage. As the teen explained in an interview, he has always loved singing. When he was little, he’d “run around the house screaming at the top of [his] lungs.”
As Reid got older, he honed his talents. Being the middle child with four siblings, he didn’t want to “be forgotten.” So, he kept the attention on him by singing for his parents and siblings.
Until stepping in front of the AGT judges, he’d never performed for anything aside from some family gatherings.
“I would love to be, like, the next superstar,” he said with a dreamy smile. “… I’m definitely nervous. But I’m going to put my all into those two minutes, just sing my heart out, and just try not to miss a note.”
That’s just what Reid Wilson did. He sang his heart out and nailed every note of Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit. His unique and strong voice captivated Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara—And especially Howie Mandel.
As Reid belted his audition, Howie sat back and folded his hands over his chest, taking every lyric in with a smile. Simon was so moved that he closed his eyes to get the best experience.
“You know, I shut my eyes for a moment when you were singing just to listen to your voice, and then I opened them again, and there’s this sweet, young kid,” Simon shared.
“Do You Believe In Dreams?”
Howie let the other judges give their praise before he spoke and eventually gave Reid the Golden Buzzer.
“I was bulled over because I was surprised…First of all, you’re just a 14-year-old kid from Alabama. So I would imagine, I put myself in your position, you were very nervous, and you did come off incredibly nervous. That was a surprise,” he said. “And you know what? That stage is where dreams come true.”
“Do you believe in dreams?” Howie asked before Reid answered, “Yes.”
“Well, one of them is about to come true,” Howie shouted before slamming the Golden Buzzer.
You can watch Reid battle for the Season 19 crown when AGT airs on NBC on Tuesday nights at 8/7 C.
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