Sofia Vergara Compares Reid Wilson to David Bowie After a Soulful Ariana Grande Cover
The 14-year-old AGT wunderkind received a standing ovation from both the Judges and audience.
Following Simon Cowell's advice about making a song your own, Golden Buzzer recipient Reid Wilson stunned the America's Got Talent Judges Wednesday night with a cover of Ariana Grande's "Almost is Never Enough" during the third round of the Season 25 Quarterfinals. The captivating performance was enough to land the 14-year-old singer, who just so happens to be the younger brother of a previous contestant on NBC's The Voice, a spot in the Live Semifinal alongside acrobat Kelsey Jane and stand-up comic Learnmore Jonasi.
There's a lot riding on Wilson's potential season win, though Reid is less concerned about the bragging rights and substantial cash prize than he is about a canine-related deal he made with his parents. "I want to win AGT because 1) it would help me become this huge star and 2) my parents made me a promise that I'll be able to buy a dog," he said.
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Reid Wilson covers "Almost is Never Enough" by Ariana Grande
Wilson's Quarterfinals performance featured a soulful rendition of "Almost is Never Enough," a track from Ariana Grande's debut studio album: Yours Truly (2013). Howie Mandel, who bestowed the Golden Buzzer upon Wilson all those weeks ago, could be seen swaying in time to the song, thoroughly entranced.
"Did I know what I was doing?! Did I know what I was doing?!" Mandel asked rhetorically once the audience and Judges had jumped out of their seats for a raucous standing ovation. "You have so much poise, so much control — your voice is so clear and so crisp. You know what you wanna do. I feel you are so close to getting a dog!"
Sofia Vergara came next, comparing Wilson to a young David Bowie (high praise, indeed!). "Tonight, you look like belong on that stage."
"I really do believe, Reid, that singing is gonna be your career," added Cowell. "You have to do what you just did tonight. Get on a stage, do it live, perform in front of an audience. Because if you can't do that, you're not gonna have a shot going forward. I also thought you've got real soul in your voice. Genuinely ... I was really, really wanting you to do well tonight and you did. I'm really happy."
"You were so, so good," concluded Heidi Klum. "You can really hold your own on that stage. I mean, everyone was so quiet, trying to hear every little syllable that you were singing ... You were amazing!"
How to watch America's Got Talent
Live episodes of AGT air every Tuesday and Wednesday at 8/7c. You can stream them the next day on Peacock.
