America’s Got Talent’s opening night received the voice of 22-year-old autistic, blind and gifted vocalist and pianist Kodi Lee on its 14th season.
The YouTube video is currently trending at number five, with almost seven million views.
Both the audiences and the judges sat enthralled as Kodi Lee played the piano and sang a Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.” Each of the judges praised Lee following his performance.
Julianne Hough could be heard on the mike saying that she couldn’t stop crying. She said that his voice blew her and everyone away.
“I heard you, I felt you and it was beautiful,” she said.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
Infamously harsh judge Simon Cowell said the he would remember the moment for the rest of his life.
“Your voice is absolutely fantastic, you have a really beautiful tone. Thank you so much for trusting us on this show,” he said.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByCK8wOhv3m/
The show’s newest judge, Gabrielle Union, told Lee’s mom that she was also experiencing motherhood for the first time this year. She voiced this as one mother from another.
“You just want to give your kids the moon, the stars and rainbows,” Union said. “And tonight, I’m going to give you something special.”
The golden buzzer brought down confetti and as Union went on stage to embrace Lee, his family rushed on stage as well.
Celebrities have also taken to Twitter to praise the contestant, including Oprah Winfrey.
Lee’s mom Tina explained to the judges that she discovered his love for music early on, saying that it “saved his life.”
She explained, “Through music and performing, he was able to withstand living in this world.”
Feature images courtesy of (left) @agt / (right) @duceidamom
