A 10-year-old singer belted out a difficult Lady Gaga song and Sofia Vergara knew exactly what to do
10-year-old singer Roberta Battaglia stunned the 'America's Got Talent' judges with her powerful vocals! In a June 2020 episode of 'AGT' Season 20, Battaglia, who hails from Toronto, performed an epic rendition of 'Shallow' from the 2018 film 'A Star is Born' featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Following her performance, Battaglia got a standing ovation from the esteemed judging panel, including Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel. As per Today, while expressing his thoughts on Battaglia's act, Mandel quipped, "This moment is unbelievable." Meanwhile, Klum remarked, "It's amazing what you just did!"
Soon after, Cowell jokingly remarked, “That wasn’t you singing, was it? Wasn’t it someone behind you?” In her response, Battaglia said, "It was me." Following that, Cowell raved over Battaglia and told her, "You know what, you are so likeable and so humble; bearing in mind you've got this. You must have great friends." At that point, Battaglia revealed, "Sometimes I do get bullied." To this, Cowell replied, "There's one way you can win over bullies. It's by being happy and successful, you know that. Bullies are always threatened (by) talented people. So in a weird way, it's a compliment, and it shows your strength that you've come all the way from Canada to be here, and we're honored to have you as our guest."
With tears in her eyes, Battaglia exclaimed, "It was always my dream to be on 'AGT,' and now that’s coming true." Then, Cowell asked Vergara to offer her feedback to Battaglia, and she went on to say, “It was amazing; it was breathtaking. You’re 10 years old. That’s impossible to sing like that at 10 years old, and you know what, let's see who is going to bully you after this," before hitting the Golden Buzzer for the teen singer.
The judges and fans were in awe of Battaglia's voice, and they expressed their reactions on social media. One internet user stopped by the comments section and wrote, "You may get tired of singers getting golden buzzers, but there is no doubt that this girl 100% deserves it. I cannot express my shock the first time I heard her." Another person echoed the same sentiments by saying, "This is what the golden buzzer should look like: no sad stories, no heartbreaking losses, just a kid living their dream." A third netizen chimed in, "Lady Gaga would be very proud of this young lady. Stunning performance." A user commented, "When a 10-year-old sings it better than the original. One of my favorite auditions ever."
Elsewhere in the episode, Battaglia couldn't stop expressing her deep admiration for Vergara. As per USA Today, Battaglia said, "Oh, my gosh! Let me just say, I love you, and I watch you on 'Modern Family.' I just adore you." When asked what she would do with the show's winning prize of $1 million if she won, Battaglia responded, “I really want to give my dog, whose name is Happy, a little girlfriend." At the end of the day, Battaglia may have failed to win the coveted title of the NBC show, but she surely won the people's hearts.