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'AGT' Season 18: Golden buzzer winner Gabriel Henrique likened to Mariah Carey as he steals hearts with his angelic voice

After declaring that Gabriel Henrique's performance was 'what she was waiting for', Sofia Vergara hits the golden buzzer for him

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: It's extraordinary to be able to resemble one pop icon, but Gabriel Henrique's 'perfect' performance on 'America's Got Talent' garnered him comparisons to two music legends. Gabriel's incredible skill, according to Judge Heidi Klum, is what would happen if "Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey had a baby."

Gabriel is a fantastic vocalist who is better known as @gabbrielhenrique on TikTok, where he has over 510,000 followers. The Brazilian vocalist is well-known on the app for performing both original and cover songs. His vocal range is unparalleled, and he captivates audiences when he covers prominent female musicians such as Carey and Celine Dion. This singer has become so popular on TikTok that a site called Teacher Paul Reacts praised his singing approach, calling it "out of this world."

'Sound like the best and finest pop diva there ever was'

While most people avoid songs made popular by Whitney, Gabriel did a cover of 'Run to You'. And it was evident from the first few notes that Gabriel was up to the task. The audience erupted as he transitioned from one great run to the next, noisily cheering him on.

"I did not expect that voice to come out of you," remarked Howie Mandel after the final high note. "You sound like the best and finest pop diva there ever was. I would imagine if people are watching this now in the other room, they’re gonna go, did you hear that song? Come in and see who sang that. You’re amazing."

Gabriel revealed, through a translator, that he had traveled to the United States for the first time from his home in Brazil to audition for the talent competition. "I’m just realizing a dream to be here to sing for you guys here in the United States," he explained.

Judge Simon Cowell predicted after his performance of 'Run to Me' that the singer would be swiftly welcomed by 'AGT' fans. "Gabriel, people are going to really like you. You’re just so interesting. I can tell that you sang in church, and you don’t know how good you are," he continued. "It was amazing."

Gabriel's ability stood out from the crowd for Sofia Vergara. "You’re here every time as a judge waiting for that feeling, and that was what I was waiting for, you know, something very beautiful and very heartfelt," she remarked before slamming the Golden Buzzer and showering a sea of golden confetti on an ecstatic Gabriel. "Congratulations! You’re so good!" she said.

Sofia then entered the stage, where she and Gabriel hugged and exchanged a Spanish phrase. "How spectacular. You had us dying over here," she explained.

'Mesmerizing voice! A star is born!'

Fans rushed to Twitter to praise the singer from Brazil, "Saaang Gabriel Saaang. He should be on #AmericanIdol, that show loves old style singers. He's like an 80's 90's r&b singer #AGT Yes he was commercial break worthy." Another person tweeted, "Gabriel could hit notes Witney would struggle with Heidi was right with her comparison to Mariah." One fan noted, "Damn. Gabriel dude hitting Mariah Carey high notes on #AGT." A fourth user tweeted, "Someone took Whitney and Michael and gave their gifts to this man."

'Was hearing Whitney Houston come back to life'

On Instagram, fans were equally happy, as they wrote, "He just made a statement that says, "Never judge a book by it cover." I was literally crying 😢 😭. Omg, he can sinnnnnng and sound like an angel. A well-deserved golden buzzer👏🏽." Another person chimed in, "He swallowed a pop diva for sure!" Others wrote, "I got chills all over my body, from the moment he hit those high notes. I felt like i was hearing Whitney Houston come back to life to sing for us once again. Absolutely wonderful. ⭐️💛⭐️💛⭐️💛⭐️💛⭐️💛⭐️." Another user wrote, "Best singer on AGT this season! Mesmerizing voice! A star is born! 💗💗💗💗💗."

'America's Got Talent' Season 18 airs every Tuesday on NBC at 8 PM ET.