America's Got Talent Season 15: Voices Of Our City choir sees Terry Crews press the golden buzzer for them
'America's Got Talent' just confirmed that summer is well and truly here as America's favorite talent show just beamed its worldwide premiere episode into the homes of millions of eager viewers. Kicking off proceedings and making sure that the night would be a fun-filled party was the engaging host, Terry Crews, always ready with a winning smile and words of encouragement for the gifted contestants. Also on hand to critique their efforts were long-serving judges, Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel, who were joined this season by new judge Sofia Vergara of 'Modern Family' fame and Heidi Klum, who returned to her beloved judging role after a short break.
As expected in the early audition rounds, the night was filled with some incredibly gifted entertainers, from showstopping animal trainers and magnificent singers to impressive dancers and thrilling magicians. There was also some room to showcase some hilariously bad auditions, as AGT ramped up the entertainment value by showcasing some spectacularly bad auditions, who were as delusional as they were cringe-worthy - you've honestly got to see it yourself to believe it.
But the two-hour premiere was capped off in amazing fashion, as we were treated to a one-of-a-kind performance from a massive choir who called themselves Voices Of Our City. What made their audition truly memorable was their moving backstory which was as incredible as the original song they sang. The choir founder and leader Steph Johnson explained that all the voices in the choir were made up of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego and that the money they had managed to raise with their performances had helped get them off the streets. This soul-stirring introduction immediately endeared them to the judges and the visibly moved audience, who were happy to see the homeless being given a voice and a noteworthy platform to showcase their gifts.
The choir then brought down the house with a funky and jazzy rendition of their original song, 'Listen To The Sounds Of The Sidewalk'. It was groovy, mellow and uplifting, and even featured a solo vocal from an OG pensioner named Patricia, who wowed the crowd with her stellar spoken word solo, Leonard Cohen style. It was beautiful and inspiring, and all the judges unanimously declared them as the runaway success story of the premiere night. Sofia Vergara was moved by the lyrics, Heidi Klum loved their camaraderie, Simon Cowell was blown away by Patricia's spoken word contributions which he dubbed his favorite moment. An emotionally charged Crews then brought the audience to their feet by giving the choir what they deserved, the golden buzzer award, meaning Voices Of Our City go straight to the live shows and more future episodes.
Fans also agreed with the decision, with one saying "They deserved it way to go, Voices Of Our City Choir!" Another fan was moved to tears by their inspiring story, saying, "Bawling my eyes out. So moving." Many more thrilled viewers exclaimed, "Their voices are being heard! 😍"
What a night it's been! We're already one episode down, with many more memorable performances to come. Make sure you tune in for more 'America's Got Talent' next Tuesday night at 8 pm ET on the NBC network.