When you’re auditioning in front of a live audience on a national stage, you’ve got to be prepared to roll with the punches.
Daniel Emmet of Rochester, New York told judges he was there to sing an original song, which already had some people raising their eyebrows in surprise. Daniel describes himself as a classical crossover singer, and within a few moments of hearing his voice, it’s clear that he’s got some talent.
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Daniel’s original song is written and performed entirely in Italian, and it sounded so beautiful that many people in the audience were already standing up and cheering for the twenty-five year-old performer. Yet one audience member wasn’t feeling the song, and his opinion matters more than most.
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Judge Simon Cowell watched Daniel’s passionate performance with seeming disinterest, and then halfway though the song he did something completely out of the norm. He stopped the performance– but not because he didn’t like Daniel’s voice.
It turns out, Simon just didn’t love the song choice. Yet when he asked for Daniel’s backup song, he was irritated to learn that the singer didn’t prepare one.
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“You can’t come out on a show like this and say you haven’t got a second song,” Simon admonished. “That’s what live auditions are all about. You have a very good voice, but normally it’s about connecting with the song. I always want people who have talent to do well, but just singing that song — that’s not enough.”
Daniel looked crushed, fearing that his hopes of being a contestant on “America’s Got Talent” might never be realized. But Simon wasn’t finished with him just yet.
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Flagging over a producer, Simon quietly conferred with him about giving Daniel a second chance to audition. Simon had a particular song, also sung in Italian, that he wanted to hear Daniel do. The only trouble was Daniel had never even heard the song before in his entire life!
He only had one hour to learn the new song.
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No pressure, Daniel!
In spite of this seemingly impossible challenge, Daniel emerged from backstage less than an hour later, ready to wow the crowd with Simon’s song.
“Honestly, if you pull this off right now I will be so impressed with you,” said judge Heidi Klum, and we couldn’t agree more!
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You can hear a pin drop when Daniel starts to sing the stunning aria, and instantly we can tell that Simon is loving it. All of the judges are impressed with the way Daniel learned the song and performed it with no warning whatsoever. He’s a true professional in the making!
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The judges agreed, and now we are sure to be seeing a lot more of this talented young singer on the 13th season of the talent contest. Way to go, Daniel!
Watch the surprising turn of events in the video below, and don’t forget to share.
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