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'AGT' Season 17: Fans hope Kieran Rhodes 'makes it big' after listening to his original song

'You were amazing Kieran. You just earned yourself a new fan & a new follower,' said a viewer

Kieran Rhodes, a resident of Burnt Hills, New York, dodged elimination and advanced on 'America's Got Talent' Season 17 after providing an intense performance of a self-penned song on the piano. Following a painful performance, viewers of the NBC talent competition complimented the young songwriter.

Kieran made an appearance midway through the two-hour NBC show Tuesday night, where he presented himself as a self-taught pianist and Berklee College of Music student. Simon Cowell, one of the judges, inquired whether it was tough to gain admission to the elite Boston school without being a trained musician. Kieran remarked that studying alongside individuals who had spent their lives training was scary. He also mentioned his desire to present himself to the world through 'AGT.'

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Kieran immediately sat down at the piano and began performing 'She's Got A Way About Her' by Billy Joel. Simon interrupted him in the middle and asked if he composed his own songs. Kieran then sang an original song called 'Disengage,' which he claims he penned while suffering from depression. The song hit a different note with Simon and other judges, getting him a standing ovation. Sofia began with "spectacular," while Howie remarked he's a star, and Heidi stated the melancholy in his vocals is beautiful. Simon described him as "very, very interesting," and expressed optimism that the audition and their Yes votes will improve his life. Simon, in fact, delivered a brief statement on his own difficult beginnings in music.

Backstage, Kieran remarked, "I cannot even describe what I'm feeling right now," before showing a video of an emotional embrace with his mum, Mia Scirocco. Kieran has joined a long queue of Capital Region performers in attempting to capture the hearts of the country. His performance has left Twitter users speechless. Stunned by Kieran's performance, a fan wrote: "You could hear a pin drop in our living room when Kieran Rhodes’ song ended. Stunning. MESMERIZING. #AGT."

Another Twitter user compared Kieran's performance to that of the rock band, The Fray. The tweet read: "I don’t watch scheduled programming unless I’m at my Grandmom’s house and she got me in here watching AGT Kieran Rhodes reminds me of how I felt after listening to The Fray for the first time as a kid. I hope he makes it big."

One fan went on to commit that they'd buy his record after Kieran's "heartbreakingly lovely" performance. They tweeted: "You were awesome, Kieran! I'm ready to buy your record! :) That song was heartbreakingly lovely." Touched by Kieran's performance, another fan wrote: "@KieranRhodes Thank you Kieran!!! Your song touched me and I cried. It was so beautiful #Disengage #AGT." Joining the fan following, an AGT viewer wrote: "You were amazing Kieran. You just earned yourself a new fan & a new follower. @AGT #AGT."

However, one Twitter user criticized the 19-year-old for his "fake humility". While praising Kieran's overall performance, they tweeted: "Eh, Kieran Rhodes was…fine. Good piano playing, well-written song but thoroughly unremarkable singing, IMO. Plus he has that fake “humility” of people that get overly praised a lot but want to seem humble. #AGT."

America's Got Talent' Season 17 airs Tuesdays, at 8 pm on NBC. Following the show's premiere, you can catch all-new episodes every Tuesday from 8 to 10 pm ET/PT. For viewers who wish to tune in to the show without cable, they can do so using any of the following streaming services: Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, AT&T TV, or YouTube TV.
 
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