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60 years after tragic bombing, this youth choir's message earned Simon Cowell's golden buzzer on 'AGT'

A youth choir from Birmingham wowed the ‘AGT’ judges with their purpose and pride

A choir from Birmingham just blew away the 'AGT' judges with their purpose, pride, and powerful vocals. During the sixth episode of 'America's Got Talent' Season 20, which aired on July 8, the Birmingham Youth and Young Adult Fellowship Choir captivated judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Mel B, and Howie Mandel with their impeccable singing skills. According to NBC, as the members assembled on the stage, Ahkeem Lee, the director of the choir, said, “This is our big moment. Thank you all for your dedication. We are going to go out there and put Birmingham, AL, on the map.” After their performance, the choir received Cowell's Golden Buzzer.

While talking about the formation of the choir, Lee told the NBC show judges, “When I was 18 years old, I started this choir. It was supposed to be fun. We wanted to get together to do a school supply concert and benefit the children in the community, but after the concert was over, we had so many youths walk up and say, ‘How do I join this choir,’ that I had to keep it going and 10 years later we’re here today." Along with this, Lee also talked about the roots of their choir and the community to which they belonged. 

"We come from a city that is often criticized," he said, but pointed out that Birmingham has such a rich history. He shared that he grew up at the 16th Street Baptist Church. "A lot of people may know that church because in 1963, a tragic bombing happened there, and that was when four little girls were killed," he said. While that bombing was such a heartbreaking event, it ended up playing a monumental role in capturing the world's attention to the civil rights struggle in America. "60-something years later, the choir exists, so we wanted the opportunity to show that Birmingham, Alabama, has some talented young people, and we wanted to do something great for the community," the director explained.

For their audition on 'America's Got Talent', the Birmingham Youth and Young Adult Fellowship Choir sang a mashup of the traditional 'Hymn of Joy' and Pharrell Williams and Voice of Fire's modern 2023 spin on the track, 'JOY (Unspeakable).' The choir amazed the judging panel as well as the studio audience with their incredible performance. After wrapping up their performance, they received a standing ovation from the judges and a big applause from the audience.

While offering his feedback to the choir, Cowell said, "That was big. I could see and hear how much work went into this. Every single one of you played a perfect part. We had lead vocals, we had emotion, and I am so honored that you would come here on our 20th anniversary." Before hitting the Golden Buzzer, Cowell went on to say, "And in return, I want to give you something." Following that, Cowell joined the choir backstage and told them, "This is just the beginning. You are big now. It's going to get bigger, right? Thank you. That was one of my favorite acts ever."