Editor’s Note: Spoilers ahead for ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 19, Episode 4.
The Big Picture
- Simon Cowell’s dramatic interruption of L6 led to one of the show’s best auditions this season.
- Cowell has a history of interrupting auditions to help performers, as seen with Daniel Emmet in 2018.
- America’s Got Talent is back with a new season full of impressive acts, emotional stories, and exciting talent discovery.
Following a short hiatus, America’s Got Talent was back on screens on June 25 and returned with an episode that won’t be forgotten for some time thanks to Simon Cowellstopping an act mid-way through their performance. As the episode neatly passed by with plenty of impressive, comic, and sometimes terrible moments, including a dancing robot that perhaps encapsulates all three, the biggest moment was saved for the end. One of the last acts on the stage was L6, a family from the Philippines with talent and a sob story to boot. Comprised of five siblings and their niece, the group traveled across the world to sing for the judges in memory of their late mother. With the entire audience’s breath held, and Cowell muttering “Be good, be good, be good” under his breath, the first notes of Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” began.
Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of this song knows how tough it is to sing, with the family instantly impressing a vitalizing crowd. However, before they had even begun the chorus, Cowell’s arm was raised and the music stopped, which was, of course, met with a cacophony of displeasure from the audience. Nevertheless, Cowell is a pro and knew what he was doing, asking the family to sing acapella because “the track was terrible.” This is enough to throw even the most experienced of veterans off their performance, but the family took the opportunity by the scruff of its neck and smashed it out of the park. Finishing with a delightfully joyous harmony, the audience and the judges were instantly on their feet for one of this year’s best auditions.
This Isn’t the First Time Simon Cowell Has Interrupted an Audition
A veteran music producer, Cowell is no stranger to knowing what’s best for the plucky wannabes on stage. With many seasons of talent shows in his back pocket, Cowell has been interrupting auditions since the early noughties on shows like American Idol and X-Factor, usually to ask the performer to pick a new song. Almost always, this turns out to be the correct choice, exemplified by Daniel Emmet‘s audition in 2018.
After failing to connect with the song, according to Cowell, Emmet admitted he didn’t have a second option, which caused the head judge to suggest something they had never done before. Instead of calling it a day, Cowell gave the opera singer a chance to go away and learn a song of Cowell’s choice, come back, and try again. Upon his return, Emmet blew everyone away, proving not only that he had the talent to progress, but that Cowell does know his stuff.
Simon Cowell’s dramatic interruption of singing family L6 led to one of the show’s best auditions this year.
Season 19 of America’s Got Talent is available to stream on Peacock.
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