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'AGT' Season 17: Harper, 10, performs heavy metal, stunned fans hope she wins the title

'Harper looking all angelic. Then....the voice came out. Great job!' said a fan

During the third round of tryouts for 'America's Got Talent,' Harper Jerret takes the stage. Although the vocalist appears to be a pretty young kid at first glance, her Spiritbox performance revealed that she is much more than that.

Before the 'AGT' auditions began, the judges spoke with Kelly Clarkson about Season 17. The topic of which acts are the most intimidating to enter the stage was discussed. Cowell began by discussing a father-daughter act on poles that went tragically wrong. “The second most terrifying was a girl who was ten years old. I won’t give it away, but I thought she was very sweet until she started to sing, and I actually called for a priest,” Cowell remarked.“It was like the exorcist.”

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While Cowell never revealed the singer's name, many believe Harper graced the 'AGT' stage on June 14. This 10-year-old girl previously became famous on YouTube for her heavy metal version of Spiritbox's 'Holy Roller'. For those who are unfamiliar with the song, this little girl's version absolutely captures it. Because her version was so accurate, the YouTube video received over 200,000 views and 1,000 comments. The bulk of the comments on the video praises the singer's excellent screaming style at such a young age. People refer to her as "a young metal prodigy." Harper has continued to release new covers on her YouTube channel after her video became popular. Ben Lumber, her stepfather, appears on one of the covers. Lumber is the vocalist for Acres, a post-hardcore band from the United Kingdom. Harper is known for her screaming, but she can also be heard singing in her late 2021 videos. She's obviously perfect in both singing genres. Harper began working on voice skills with Melissa Cross soon after her viral video went viral. Screaming, for those who don't know, may ruin your vocal cords if done incorrectly. All of Harper's vocals in her videos have not been altered.

Since Howie was not in his seat, the judges asked Harper's dad, to see her audition from his spot. The judges were not expecting Harper to be a death metal vocalist based on their looks when she began screaming. Nonetheless, they gave her a standing ovation, stating that the surprise element was "brilliant" and that she executed it flawlessly. Her dad handed her a symbolic fourth "Yes" vote after the judges granted her three "Yes" votes.

On the other hand, fans are happy with Harper's performance as well as the judges' praise. Some of them turned to Twitter, writing: "#AGT and the mainstream finally showing respect for metal music, and death metal music at that. Simon actually said the performance was brilliant. I'm pleasantly surprised." Another excited fan after the performance tweeted: "Harper from AGT was f**king dope!!!!!!!!"

Most viewers at home were equally stumped as the judges and the live audience of 'AGT' as they write: "HOLY SH*T THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL THAT JUST TURNED INTO A SCREAMING METAL SINGER ON AGT SHE LOOKED SO INNOCENT BEFORE HAHAH THEIR FACES". Speaking of the deceptive look, another fan wrote: "#AGT Harper looking all angelic. Then....the voice came out. Great job!".

A true metal head shared their experience on Twitter while commending the recognition Metal music has been getting on stages like 'AGT': "Like some of y’all are probably thinking that someone going on AGT & doing a Spiritbox song is cool, but for me, someone who was called every name in the book for listening to metal, is beyond excited that metal has been reaching a bigger audience. It’s huge!!! "

Some fans also think Harper has a future in the genre as they tweet: "Harper really surprised me. She has a future in heavy metal music, for sure. #AGT". Another fan wrote: "I just LOVE her! It’s so refreshing to see a girl do death metal instead of singing bubble gum stuff."

Harper has stated that she began uploading songs online as a result of Lumber's influence. He had her listen to a song and sing along to it one day. He presented the recording to his friends/bandmates, who advised him to upload it on YouTube. Eminem and Spiritbox are two of the young singer's biggest musical influences. This young vocalist is now working on her debut track. Lumber had Chris Wiseman (of the metal band Currents) tape the instrumentals for the song, while he assisted his stepdaughter with vocals and lyrics, she revealed. Harper is ecstatic for everyone to hear her debut tune. Harper got the opportunity to meet Spiritbox while in Los Angeles for 'AGT.' Harper signed lead vocalist Courtney LaPlante's shoe in the video, while LaPlante signed hers. Despite the fact that the YouTube video didn't show much of their hangout, Harper has stated that she will meet the trio again this month in London.

'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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