'America's Got Talent' season 14: Who is Sophie Pecora, the 15-year-old who received a standing ovation from the judges?
After a long wait 'America's Got Talent' season 14 premiered on NBC, and after taking a look at the first episode, one thing is for sure - we will need more tissues for the coming episodes.
On Tuesday night when AGT had its two-hour premiere, we saw judges Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell take their seat as the judges once again. They were joined by two new judges Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough who replaced judges Mel B and Heidi Klum.
The highlight of the premiere episode was 22-year-old blind and autistic pianist and singer Kodi Lee who received the first Golden Buzzer of the season.
Apart from Lee, there was another contestant that made the judges and audience emotional with her song. She is none other than 15-year-old Sophie Pecora. In a pre-taped video of her, Pecora introduced herself saying, “I’ve always loved singing. I used to pretend I was on stage and sing songs in front of the mirror. But growing up, I was a little shy and quiet so I felt very insecure when trying to make friends. So I started posting YouTube videos. I really wanted to relate to people and express my feelings. I started posting my own original songs, but back then I think I probably had like eight views.”
Wanting to share her experiences with everyone Pecora sang an original song called '7th Grade' that is about her being bullied back in school. Pecora revealed she decided to perform this song so everyone knows they aren't alone.
Pecora's performance got her a standing ovation from all four judges. Cowell revealed that her performance was really emotional and that she connected with everyone in the audience. But one thing that not many know about Pecora is that she was first discovered by famous Youtuber Shane Dawson even before she appeared on America's Got Talent.
Dawson stumbled upon Pecora after he saw one of her videos on Youtube. "I think I found a f--*ing star,” he said in his vlog. "I’m literally Scooter Braun [Justin Bieber’s manager].”
Pecora's parents have also been extra supportive of her music career. Pecora hopes that one day she gets to tour around the world and sing her own songs. After taking a look at Pecora's performance, fans couldn't contain their excitement for the singer as they share their love for her.
"These words are so relatable. her style reminded me of @edsheeran or @torikelly, which is soooo good. keep it up, Sophie!!," wrote a fan on Twitter. While another added, "A lot of chatter about one person on the #AGTPremiere but the person who got me was @SophiePecora Wow. She tore my out. #SophiePecora just WOW!!! @AGT."
"Wow this kid really just told EXACTLY what 7th grade was like for me. It breaks my heart that kids are still dealing with so much pain in school." added another.
We can't wait to see what Pecora brings to the stage with her next performance.
'America's Got Talent' season 14 airs every Tuesday night on NBC. Check your local listings for more information.
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