Who is Brooke Bailey? Meet 'AGT' Season 19 star who hopes to channel one of music's biggest icons
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Brooke Bailey, a contestant on Season 19 of 'America's Got Talent', has had her audition clip released early by NBC. Originally from Los Angeles and currently based in New York, Brooke began singing at a young age and has since undergone professional training to refine her talents.
Brooke studied music at John Burroughs High School’s Vocal Music Association, graduating in 2023 after seven years. She has performed at numerous concerts and won the Music Center’s 35th Annual Spotlight Grand Finale award in August 2023. Brooke has notably made the NBC show judges her fans with her stunning performance.
She delivered a stunning two-minute rendition of Aretha Franklin's song 'Ain't No Way'. The performance highly impressed the judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara, earning a rousing standing ovation from both the audience and the judges.
However, Aretha seemed to be Brooke's favorite legend as she previously performed the same song and reflected in an Instagram post, "The absolute love I have for this woman and song is indescribable honestly. and I am so happy I got to sing with my baes by my side!!"
Heidi Klum dubs Brooke Bailey's performance 'favorite' audition
Brooke Bailey's graceful performance won over the 'AGT' Season 19 judges with Heidi Klum declaring it her 'favorite audition of the day'. Meanwhile, Howie Mandel noted, "I think that you have an amazing instrument. Your voice is really good. You're a really good singer. And I think you have a future ahead of you. I really liked it."
Sofia Vergara agreed with Heidi and Howie and said, "The way you sing and the feeling that you put into the song, it’s spectacular." Simon Cowell also loved Brooke's 'incredible' vocals and complimented, "For you to manage what you're doing with a job to do something you love is incredible, actually."
The NBC show judge added, "What I would say, Brooke, if you go further, I would definitely have a band behind you, because you're the kind of artist who I think would be best where you don't have the structure of a backing track. And I really like you as a person."
'AGT' Season 19 star Brooke Bailey reflects on her Spotlight debut
'AGT' Season 19 contestant Brooke Bailey was thrilled to make her Spotlight debut in 2023, where she ultimately won the award. She shared a video from her audition and noted on her Instagram, "This was my very first year auditioning for Spotlight and I couldn't be more proud to be named one of the Grand Finalists in Non-Classical Voice."
Brooke further claimed that performing on Spotlight was a 'surreal and memorable experience'. She added, "To perform on such a large stage and in front of thousands of people was both nerve-racking and beyond exciting." The NBC show contestant appreciated her friends and family for their support and thanked her donors who made all of this possible.
Stream 'America's Got Talent' Season 19 airs on Tuesdays on NBC at 8 PM ET.