An 'AGT' contestant became an instant TV legend — and all he did was sing just one word
Andy Rowell, now 30, had a trick up his sleeve to please Simon Cowell that no one could anticipate until he walked on the 'America's Got Talent' audition stage in 2019. To everyone's wonder, he played the 1958 one-lyric song ‘Tequila, by the Champs’. At first, the judges did not seem to enjoy the performance, but halfway through it, everyone seemed to be on board. Cowell, who had a history of disliking karaoke singers said, "I'd like to hear the whole album actually. It was so stupid I loved it." while Julianne Hough commented, "I have props to you because I feel like it's hard to be doing that, to get that kind of reaction. So I actually think it's brilliant. Well done."
Gabrielle Union also chimed in, "It's so wrong, it's right. I want to see what the next song is." Giving his two cents to Rowell, Howie Mandel also quipped, "Song choice is always important on this. Not only the song choice but your exuberance and your excitement -- I love you. And the praises didn't stop there, fans also flooded the YouTube comment section to comment on Rowell's gig. "He got 4 yeses by saying 3 words," one viewer pointed out in disbelief. Another said, "When you’re just trolling, but you make it to round 2 with absolutely no plan." The simplicity of the act had people both stunned and entertained. One fan summed it up perfectly: "There's someone who has practiced their entire life to get four yeses. And then there's Andy."
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Another praised not just the song choice, but the entire comedic delivery, writing, "Man, that was just freaking hilarious. I enjoyed the whole minute. It isn’t just saying ‘Tequila’—his weird attitude, his gestures, the machine with the screen and its animation. The show was just meant to make people laugh. I think it was amazing. Edit: I think it is a comedy act." Perhaps the most wholesome reaction came from someone who noticed Rowell’s shock at the audience’s enthusiasm. "I love how surprised he looked when people started singing along and cheering. He was hiding how surprised he was."
However, there has also been speculation that Rowell stole the act from another comedian, per Yahoo. Andy Kaufman did a 'Mighty Mouse' Sketch on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1975. Kaufman walked on stage and played the 'Mighty Mouse' theme song on the recorder. He keep quiet through the song, only lip-syncing to the chorus: "Here I come to save the day". Similar to what Rowell did with the one lyric song.
Despite the speculation and criticism of fans on social media, Rowell proceeded to the next round. Reflecting on his selection, the Karaoke comic told Billboard, "When I was growing up, I was inspired by all sorts of music, but my first time singing was at a karaoke bar. Ever since then, I’ve been singing. It makes me feel alive," Rowell explained. “Some people think, ‘Oh, it’s kind of amateur-ish,’ but it’s just as professional as a normal singer. There’s just lyrics on screen.” Rowell was later eliminated in the 'Judge Cuts 1' round when performing his next comic Karaoke on the song 'Turn Me Down', per Just Jarred.
