BGT boss Simon Cowell was left in tears over a tribute to a late American’s Got Talent contestant.
Appearing on Tuesday’s season premiere of America’s Got Talent (May 30), the Mzansi Youth Choir sang Nightbirde’s song It’s OK.
Nightbirde, whose real name was Jane Kristen Marczewski, appeared on season 16 of AGT. She was given the Golden Buzzer by Simon but had to withdraw due to her cancer battle. She sadly died at the age of 31 in 2022.
BGT boss Simon Cowell breaks down over Got Talent star tribute
Speaking after Mzansi Youth Choir ‘s performance, Simon said: “This brought back so many memories for me. This is hard. Gosh, give me one second.”
Filled with tears, he added: “I know how much this would have meant to her, it would. Right until the end she was so passionate about sharing her music. And this has gone all over the world. And you come back here with the most amazing tribute. It was just breathtaking, honestly.”
Mzansi Youth Choir, who came from Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, received a standing ovation and a loud crowd cheer.
Judges’ comments
Heidi Klum told viewers: “For anyone who doesn’t know we lost a very special person from our AGT family. Her name is Jane. Her nickname was Nightbirde, and she sang the song. It has a very special meaning in my heart. It was really beautiful, thank you.”
Sofia Vergara added: “What a surprise to hear that song, and your voices are fantastic. That was the perfect AGT audition.”
Howie Mandel said: “I’ll always remember Nightbirde and to see that it touched people on the other side of the globe. Unbelievable.”
Explaining their choice for the song, a member of the choir stated: “This song has been such a pillar of strength for us, as a choir, through difficult times. We just wanted to continue her legacy and that’s why we chose this song.”
Thanks to the cheers of the crowd for the choir to receive the Golden Buzzer, all the judges pressed it together. The pre-recorded episode aired in the States as Simon was on UK screens with the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent.
Read more: Simon Cowell presses Golden Buzzer for second time as viewers say same thing
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