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Simon Cowell cuts off grandma mid-song on ‘AGT,’ asks granddaughter to sing — and we’re so glad he did

Gina Bellina took the stage, explaining to the judges that her granddaughter, Lilliana, had secretly signed her up for ‘AGT’

'America's Got Talent' judge Simon Cowell recently interrupted a contestant's audition, and everyone was stunned by his surprise move. During the latest episode of 'AGT' Season 20, which premiered on July 8, grandmother Gina Bellina and her granddaughter, Lilliana, took over the stage of the NBC talent competition. Soon after, Bellina told the judges, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Mel B, that her grandmother, Lilliana, had secretly signed her up for 'AGT.' According to Billboard, before her audition, Bellina told the judging panel, “Behind my back, she signed me up. I only found out two days before I was meant to be here. I thought she was crazy, but she believed in me.”

After receiving encouragement from the studio audience, Bellina took the microphone and began singing an original song that she had written all by herself. However, mid-performance, Cowell asked Bellina to stop, and he went on to say, "OK, right, um…Hang on a second." Then, Cowell turned to Lilliana in the audience and asked her, “Lilliana, do you sing?" to which the latter responded, "I do." Following that, Cowell said, "Can I hear you sing it?" Soon after, Lilliana's impromptu 'AGT' audition began, where she performed a soulful rendition of the heartfelt song, and she wowed the esteemed judges and the audience with her beautiful vocals

 After wrapping up her performance, Lilliana got a standing ovation from three judges. When Cowell was asked to offer his feedback on Lilliana's performance, he told the young singer, "You’ve got Gina here, but weirdly, Gina got you here. You’ve got the better voice. You’re cool, and I think people are going to root for you. So, as long as Gina, you’re prepared to let Liliana sing, this could work.”

Soon after, Vergara mirrored similar viewpoints by saying, “We would have never known you had this beautiful, beautiful voice if Simon hadn’t asked you to sing. I think people are going to love you.” On the other hand, when we talk about Mel, she wasn't impressed by Lilliana's performance and she quipped, “I have to be honest, it didn’t quite get there for me," voting no. Eventually, Lilliana advanced to the next round by getting yeses from Vergara, Cowell, and Mandel. As per NBC, after Bellina and Lilliana left the stage, Mandel said, "The granddaughter's good," to which Cowell replied, "You never know what could happen."

Once the episode dropped, the fans of the show couldn't stop raving over Lilliana and her grandmother, Bellina. One social media user penned, "Wow, I think the grandmother needs to write more for her granddaughter. What a great duo." Followed by a second user who wrote, "What a beautiful and clear voice this young woman has. Reminds me of great singers from the early 1960s."  Another netizen chimed in, "The lyrics of the song is so moving and full of heart and soul. Grandma needs to write more beautiful songs, and her granddaughter needs to sing them." An 'AGT' fan commented, "Lilianna has a wonderful voice. Grandma Gina has a big, kind heart. Their performance was fantastic."