'America's Got Talent' season 14: Sophie Pecora shares how she wrote her song '7th Grade' just before she turned 15
America's Got Talent Season 14 is done with three episodes and fans have witnessed a great deal of talent, starting from musicians, singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, ventriloquists, etc... Each performance has stood out in their own unique way.
There have been three golden buzzers already but that hasn't stopped the stoplight from shining on Sophie Pecora. Pecora is all of 15 but don't let her age fool you. The talented singer-songwriter has the audience and the judges charmed since her auditions on America's Got Talent season 14. Pecora performed an original song titled '7th Grade' for her audition.
Not only did her song touch everyone emotionally, but the judges also loved it and gave the young contestant a standing ovation. Her song was written based on the bullying she went through in school and left many in tears.
Pecora received four yeses from the judges and moved on to the next round. Wanting to know more about the contestant, MEA WorldWide got in touch with Pecora for an exclusive interview and spoke to her regarding her inspiration and how it was to work with YouTube star Shane Dawson.
Pecora revealed that none of her friends knew that she was auditioning for the series. Talking about their reaction after seeing her on stage she said, "Everyone was really excited and friends told their friends. I was surprised when a few days after the show aired, I went to our local gelato place and the owner gave me free ice cream and took a picture with me. That was a good day. It’s cool when people come up to me after hearing my songs. It makes me feel like I’m doing a good job as a songwriter because they feel what I’m saying."
Though Pecora has her own YouTube channel and uploads videos often, this was her first time performing in front of a vast audience, revealing how her experience was, she said, " From the moment I walked on the stage, I was vibrating with excitement and it felt like I was looking through virtual reality goggles because I remember so clearly watching the show on TV for years, and it looks exactly the same, and it was weird that I was there in person – a good weird. I wasn’t really thinking about the amount of people watching me on TV at the time, but the audience that was there was huge and I thought it was crazy, and after, when I thought about millions more watching, I was like OMG. I love performing in front of people and I’m so excited to be able to perform my original songs."
Aside from marveling about the magnitude of the audience, Pecora also spoke about what inspired her to audition for AGT this season. "I thought it’s a great opportunity to share my songs with the world and hopefully attract new people who connect with my songs and who can really enjoy them. Also, I was excited to meet other creative people that are talented and doing what they love."
Pecora also revealed that she wrote her original song '7th Grade' in October 2018 just before she could turn 15. Though she appeared on AGT for the first time, her talent was first discovered by YouTube star and actor Shane Dawson after he saw a video of her singing.
Talking about working with him and how the experience was, Pecora said, "I was really excited to hear that he wanted to do a video with me because back then I hadn’t really done a collaboration before but really wanted to. I watched some of his videos before and they were really funny. I remember the whole day we were making the video, I was filled with so much energy. I was like ecstatic, I barely knew what was happening. I thought he and his friends were awesome and it was so cool how he works together with some of his best friends to make these videos. It was really cool seeing a group of friends create together."
For a 15-year-old, Pecora has been through a great deal, sharing a message for other teenagers who have faced the same situation she said, "I would say: 'know that just about every teenager experiences what you’re experiencing, and you’re not alone. Treat yourself well by doing what you enjoy. Things can seem crazy and stressful and you may think you don’t have time to work on things that are important to you, but when you do, it’s so fulfilling and it really does make your problems feel not as big'."
'America's Got Talent' airs every Tuesday night on NBC. Check your local listings for more information.