Simon Cowell burst into tears during a heartfelt homage to late singer Nightbirde at an America’s Got Talent audition, applauding the ‘wonderful’ performance.
The talent show, presented by Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews, has returned for its 18th season, with Simon serving on the judging panel with Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum.
The brilliant Mzansi Youth Choir approached the stage during the first show, stating that they were from South Africa but were keen to compete in the US-based competition.
The judges instantly noticed they were singing It’s OK, a stunning original song by Nightbirde that she debuted on the show in 2021 during her first audition and got a Golden Buzzer for.
Nightbirde, actual name Jane Marczewski, died of cancer in February 2022 at the age of 31, after withdrawing from the AGT quarter-finals due to illness.
‘Since my audition, my health has taken a turn for the worst, and the struggle with cancer is demanding all of my energy and attention,’ Jane wrote on Instagram at the time of her departure from the programme. I’m sorry to say that I won’t be able to continue with this season of AGT. Life doesn’t always grant breaks to people who deserve them – but we already knew that.’
Following Jane’s death, Simon wrote on Twitter: ‘Heart breaking news to hear about @_nightbirde, she was an extraordinary person, so brave, so talented. She made a huge impact on AGT and the world. Her determination to fight this terrible illness was remarkable. Rest in peace, Jane. I am sending my love to her family. Simon.’
While watching the Mzansi Youth Choir perform her song, Simon, 63, was taken aback as he said: ‘Wow, my gosh. Gosh gosh gosh.’
Host Terry, 54, wiped away tears as he watched from the side of the stage, stating: ‘What a wonderful tribute to a beautiful person.’
Following the performance, Heidi, 49, explained how much the song meant to them all, sharing: ‘For anyone who doesn’t know, we lost a very, very special person from our AGT family, her name was Jane, her nickname was Nightbirde and she sang this song, so it has a very special meaning in my heart. It was really beautiful, thank you.’
Sofía, 50, added: ‘What a surprise to hear that song and your voices are fantastic. That was the perfect AGT audition.’
‘I’ll always remember Nightbirde and seeing that it impacted folks on the opposite side of the world,’ Howie, 67, told the choir. Unbelievable. You deserve so much more than a yes, and just being here, you deserve a thank you. ‘Thank you very much.’
When Simon questioned why they picked the song, one of the singers said they were’very moved and touched’ by Nightbirde’s narrative and wanted to record their rendition of her song.
‘To our surprise, she responded so beautifully. This song has been such a pillar of strength for us as a choir through difficult times. We just want to continue her legacy and that’s why we chose this song,’ they added.
‘Beautiful,’ Simon responded, before finding himself struggling to speak as he voiced how moved he was by what he’d just witnessed.
‘This brought back so many memories for me,’ he said, as Sofía placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He continued, breaking down in tears as he said: ‘This is hard. Oh gosh, give me one second. I know how much this would have… would have meant to her. It would.
‘Right until the end, she was so passionate about sharing her music. This has gone all over the world, and you’ve come back here with the most amazing tribute. It was just breathtaking, honestly.’
Amid requests for the judges to push the Golden Buzzer, Simon decided to offer the audience, the fifth judge, the opportunity to send the choir directly to the live finals.
‘I want to suggest something. We’ve never done this before, but we’ve always discussed one day giving the audience something. What do you think? I think we should do it. Give it to the audience. Let’s do it,’ he said.
Gesturing towards the choir and the audience, he added: ‘So this is for you, for you, this is for Jane,’ before the judges and Terry all pressed the button in unison, leaving the choir in floods of tears as they celebrated their achievement.
America’s Got Talent airs on NBC in the US.
Source My Celebrity Life.