When 9-year-old Angelica Hale first auditioned for America’s Got Talent season 12, she blew the audience away with an astounding performance of Andra Day’s “Rise Up,” which earned her universal praise.
Having moved on to the next round of the competition, Hale said she was even more nervous than before, but she was keeping her eye on the prize.
“I want to make it to the live shows so bad!” the adorable songstress said in a backstage interview before her performance. “I’ve worked so hard to get to this point, so I’ve got to show them. I’ve got to do my best.”
Rocking a pink dress, denim vest and purple-laced sneakers, Hale couldn’t have looked more like an ordinary 9-year-old girl, so when she opened her mouth to sing Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire,” her powerful voice came as a shock to guest judge Chris Hardwick, who hadn’t seen her jaw-dropping performance the first time around.
Hale’s amazing voice left Hardwick absolutely stunned, and brought the entire audience to their feet as they chanted her name.
“Remember what I said to you [the first time you sang]?” Howie Mandel asked Hale after she sang.
“You said I had a good chance at winning America’s Got Talent,” Hale said, smiling. “And Howie, I’ll never forget that.”
“Well you know something, Angelica? I’ll never forget you, and I still tonight have not changed my mind,” Mandel shared.
As for Simon Cowell, the often-acerbic judge said he wasn’t sure if the young singer would be able to pull off “Girl on Fire” when she first announced her song choice, however he admitted that she proved him wrong, adding, “You nailed it, Angelica.”
But no one was won over by Hale’s immense talent like Hardwick.
“I’m so blown away because, you walk out and you look like this adorable little child. And then you open your mouth and it’s like, ‘How do those pipes fit in that tiny body?’ You are unbelievable!” Hardwick said, as he starred at the Golden Buzzer in front of him.
“Angelica, you are the chosen one!” Hardwick screamed dramatically as he slammed the button, releasing a rain of golden confetti onto the stage while Hale cried tears of joy.
The young singer’s story is even sweeter when considering how far she’s come in her journey. When Hale was four, her parents brought her to the emergency room where they found out she had double pneumonia and her kidneys stopped working.
According to her proud father, doctors had all but told them that they were going to lose their little girl, until her mother became her hero by donating her kidney. For more on Hale’s heartwarming story and her amazing audition earlier this season, check out the video below.
