Watch Every Golden Buzzer Performance from This Season of 'America's Got Talent'
Season 13 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” has not disappointed. This season has been packed with daring, emotional and talented performances, especially those acts that moved one of the judges to push the coveted golden buzzer.
Each judge is allowed to hit the golden buzzer once during the auditions; this allows the performers to skip the next round of “Judge Cuts” and advance straight to the live shows.
Now that all the judges have awarded this amazing privilege, take a moment to watch the six buzzer-worthy acts again. These are the acts you don’t want to forget as we get closer to the live performances.
Tyra Banks used her golden buzzer to send an Austrian acrobatic group straight to the live shows.
Zurcaroh amazed the audience and the judges with their daring acrobatic performance. “We are not professionals,” the group’s choreographer, Peterson Da Cruz, humbly said.
But they quickly demanded the attention of everyone watching as they showed just how much talent they had to offer.
Tyra Banks ran out on the stage before the judges even had a chance to comment on the group’s performance. “This is so crazy that you know what I have to do,” she said before pressing the golden buzzer, making the group’s dreams come true.
Simon Cowell was inspired by this father of six.
When Michael Ketterer first stepped on the stage, his nerves were hard to miss. Simon Cowell even admitted later that he was nervous for the singer because of how nervous he was.
But when the father of six revealed why he was auditioning, everyone understood this sweet man’s heart.
“You know, one of the things that happens, especially because my children came out of foster care, when you’re surviving, you can’t dream. And that has been one of the most rewarding things is providing them with a home and safe environment where they are free to dream,” Ketterer said.
“And so I’m here because I want to show them that if their dad can live out his dreams then nothing is impossible for them.”
After his emotional performance of “To Love Somebody” by the Bee Gees, Cowell was inspired. The AGT judge revealed that Ketterer surprised him — not with his technical talent, but with his passion and drive behind why he was auditioning.
Cowell pressed the coveted golden buzzer and hugged the singer and said, “You deserve it. I really mean that.”
This shy 13-year-old girl “wow-ed” Howie Mandel when she released her inner Janis Joplin.
When shy Courtney Hadwin walked onto the stage, the judges had no idea what was in store for them. Mel B even had to give her a few encouraging words before she started singing, but when she did, she proved just how much of a wildcard she truly is.
The 13-year-old performed “Hard To Handle” by The Black Crowes, and as soon as she started singing, the judges’ mouths gaped open in awe. The sheer amount of soul and passion that poured out during her performance was astounding.
As soon as she finished singing, the crowd erupted in applause and gave her the standing ovation she deserved. Simon Cowell said, “You were like this shy little thing when you came out, and then you sing and you’re like a lion. I mean, genuinely incredible!”
Howie Mandel went as far as comparing her to Janis Joplin and recounted the story of how Clive Davis first discovered the iconic singer.
He ended his thought, “I’m not Clive Davis. I’m Howie Madel and I can’t sign you to a record deal. The only thing I can do for you, young lady, is give you…” As he pressed the golden buzzer, tears of gratitude streamed down the young teen’s face.
She is definitely a performer to look out for later this season.
By pressing the golden buzzer for this 15-year-old, Mel B proved the teen’s past bullies wrong.
Amanda Mena revealed that music, along with the support of her mom, helped her cope with the mean words from her past bullies. She also said that thanks to those past experiences, she is able to better connect to the songs that she performed.
She performed Aretha Franklin’s hit, “A Natural Woman” with soul past her years. The young teen was amazed by the response from the audience.
Howie Mandel called her talent “supernatural,” while Simon Cowell told her she had “genuinely natural soul.”
Mel B said she got “goose pimples” from Mena’s performance. Right before hitting the golden buzzer, Mel B said, “This is what I’m going to say to all of those bullies.”
The teen could hardly believe that everything she had worked for was helping her achieve her dream.
Heidi Klum thinks she found the next winner after hearing this 15-year-old sing her heart out.
Makayla Phillips‘ powerhouse voice was an obvious choice for a golden buzzer recipient. Her performance of Demi Lovato’s “Warrior” filled the entire auditorium with perfect tone and pitch.
When the 15-year-old California teen finished her performance, Heidi Klum couldn’t hold back her praise.
“I love you. I think you are absolutely incredible,” Klum started. “I mean, I love the whole package. I love your smile. I love how you project to everyone. Your voice is incredible.”
Klum then pressed the golden buzzer and made a bold claim — that she had found the next winner!
“AGT has been a dream of mine since I was very, very little,” Phillips said. It looks like that long awaited dream has finally come true in an incredible way.
This children’s choir gets a second chance after guest judge Ken Jeong presses the golden buzzer.
When Voices of Hope Children’s Choir first appeared on the show, only three of the four judges voted “yes” to sending the group onto the next round. Howie Mandel said he loved the mission of the children’s choir but didn’t quite feel like it was quite good enough for the show.
Both Simon Cowell and Mel B said yes, with the condition that they really bring their performance to the next level during their next performance.
The group took those critiques to heart.
When the choir appeared on the first show of the Judge’s Cut round, Sarah Grandpré, the director, explained that the group felt more confident in their song choice the second time around, “How Far I’ll Go” from the soundtrack of Disney’s “Moana.”
The judges noticed the difference between the two performances. Cowell even deemed them “the most improved.”
Guest judge Ken Jeong was moved by the group’s emotional performance and didn’t even hesitate to press the golden buzzer, showing that second chances are possible.
“To me, America’s Got Talent it’s not just about talent. It’s about connection. It’s about connection with the audience,” the guest judge explained. Could the Voices of Hope pull off a Cinderella story, AGT style?
Olivia Munn admired this diverse choir’s ability to sing as one voice.
When the Angel City Chorale first auditioned, they wow-ed the audiences with their rendition of Toto’s “Africa.” They even used their hands and feet to bring the sounds of a thunderstorm to life in the auditorium!
All four judges gave them a resounding “yes,” allowing them to advance to the Judges’ Cuts portion of the show.
During their second performance the diverse choir stepped up their game even more as they performed Christopher Tin’s “Baba Yetu.” While no thunderstorm was included in this song, the choir still added small, but impactful choreography to elevate their performance over other acts.
Guest Judge Olivia Munn was so moved by this diverse choir’s ability to join together as one voice that she decided to press AGT’s coveted golden buzzer.
“I think we are America’s talent because we’re ordinary folk who come together and create this incredible, ‘greater than ourselves’ moment,” said Sue Fink, the Artistic Director of the group, in their “Yes Interview.” She said that they also hope to recreate that moment again next time they perform.
With all of this talent already promised to be at the live shows later this summer, season 13 of AGT is not going to disappoint.
Which of these golden buzzer performances was your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
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