Britney Spears goes metal? ‘AGT’ choir’s wild ‘Toxic’ cover has fans headbanging for all the right reasons
Back in 2022, ‘America’s Got Talent’ witnessed a demonic performance like no other. The Dremeka Choir, believed to be the world’s only metal choir, took the ‘AGT’ audience by surprise. Their shocking audition earned them a spot in the next round of Season 17. What made their audition so thrilling was the cover of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic.’ Simon Cowell described it best: "It was like demons in a choir." Dressed in black and red, their guttural voices raised hairs and nearly lifted the audience from their seats. The group first intrigued the audience with a guttural rendition of the classic "O Fortuna."
As lights flashed, judges Cowell, Mandel, Vergara, and Klum wore equally baffled expressions. Soon, most judges warmed up to the choir, though a stone-faced Klum called the act "scary." "Ooh. 'The Omen!'" Cowell remarked, reacting to the choir’s intense expressions. Then came the twist, a metal version of Britney Spears' 'Toxic,' delivered with dramatic arm gestures that jolted the crowd. While their performance was impressive to a lot of people, Klum decided to hit the red buzzer. Cowell turned to the ‘Modern Family’ star and declared, "I love them."
What seemed even more interesting was that Vergara was grooving with the music performance. "It was like demons in a choir doing 'The Omen' before switching to Britney Spears," Cowell said, calling the act "fantastically creepy." As per Today, Vergara expressed, "Suddenly, I was like, in some kind of movie with dragons or vampires or something," as she addressed the act as a “spectacular and creative" one. However, Klum had different views, which is why she hit the buzzer. "I don’t think that people necessarily would buy a ticket to come and watch this," the queen of Halloween stated. The Dremeka Choir got three yeses from Vergara, Cowell, and Mandel.
This wasn’t the only metal act to grace ‘America’s Got Talent’ in 2022. According to Revolver, a 10-year-old girl named Harper performed a djent-core banger by Spiritbox during her audition. With her performance, she even impressed the former 'American Idol' judge, Cowell, who welcomed her into the next round. On August 31, 2022, Harper returned to perform a metal version of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bad Habits.’ This time, she was joined by a full backing band. This year, the talent competition saw a classic rock band take the judges and the audience by storm. Girish and the Chronicles, a band from Sikkim, India, performed Adele’s ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ on June 3.Their routine had turned the arena of ‘AGT’ into a full-blown ‘80s rock concert, having them advance into the next round. Now in its 20th season, ‘America’s Got Talent’ has seen several acts earn golden buzzers for their standout performances.
