Who is Jimmie Herrod? Professor who used to 'hide' in choir gets golden buzzer on 'AGT'
Taking on 'America's Got Talent is no easy feat, while competing with other multi-talented individuals in various acts and categories sounds plenty intimidating, it all boils down to impressing the judges first.
With Terry Crews as the host, judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara are out to find America's most talented performers, as they all take on the main stage auditions, in the hope of making it to the next round.
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But, for Pacific Northwest-based artist Jimmie Herrod, his stunning voice seems to have won the judges over in a heartbeat, seeing that he walked away with the golden buzzer.
Who is Jimmie Herrod?
His website bio reads, Herrod is an artist and performer who works in Portland, Oregon and Paris, France. He was also the featured soloist with the Oregon Symphony's showcase in the 2018 TedX series, has worked with artists such as ODESZA, is also the guest vocalist for the band Pink Martini, and has performed across the world with the band.
Herrod happens to be a professor
When he's not touring or performing live, Herrod serves as an adjunct professor of jazz voice and currently teaches music online. He has a Bachelors of Music degree in music composition and performance from Cornish, and a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from Portland State University.
His mother encouraged him to perform
In an interview with The Olympian, Herrod opened up about how he used to be hesitant to sing in public and would often 'hide' in a choir while performing. However, his mother, La Tonya Canada, helped him overcome this apprehension. "My mom was like, 'You need to get a job," he said in the article. "She had this great idea that I could perform at physical rehabilitation centers and senior centers and ask them for a small fee. I had set up a network of six or seven different places where I'd perform each month. That was my job in high school." he explained.
It was these initial performances that made him realize that this was indeed his calling. "That was that 'aha' for me," Herrod said. "Oh, I really do love this singing thing. I should try to continue doing that."
His love for performing certainly paid off, seeing that Herrod landed the golden buzzer after singing his rendition of 'Tomorrow', from the musical 'Annie'. Although Simon Cowell was skeptical about the song choice, Herrod's stunning voice quickly changed his mind! Sofia Vergara however, threw a curveball when she announced that she didn't like the performance, shocking everyone, including Cowell. But she was quick to state that she actually loved the performance, coming down hard on the golden buzzer.
Catch all the new episodes of 'America's Got Talent on NBC every Tuesday at 8/7c. For more information, check your local listings.
