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How Lachuné’s Moving Coldplay Cover Led to Four "Yes" Votes From the AGT Judges
The Texas teacher described how her upbringing led her to singing, and why she made the leap from teaching to performing herself.
A woman who spends her life helping others find their voice finally got up the courage to take the stage and let her own voice be heard. The outcome? Lachuné Boyd wowed the judges on America’s Got Talent during her audition on Season 18.
“You have a beautiful, beautiful voice,” Judge Simon Cowell, who is famously difficult to impress, said by the end of her song. “And I’m really fascinated by it.”
Who is Lachuné?
The 31-year-old describes herself as a storyteller, vocal coach and folkie-songster on her Facebook page, where she has nearly two-thousand followers. She told AGT host Terry Crews she grew up in the low country of South Carolina.
“Small town life,” she said. “The closest Walmart is like 45 minutes away — so that type of small town. So, coming here and seeing that stage is definitely surreal.”
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While born and raised in South Carolina, she shared that she’s been living in Fort Worth, Texas for the last four years, where she is a voice teacher and student. The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she’s a student, posted about her audition on its Facebook page.
“I grew up in a singing family,” Lachuné revealed to the judges before her audition. “I spent most of my years observing them do it. I just never pictured myself actually having the moment to be on stage. So that held me back. But I started teaching because I learned that if I can’t do the thing, try to work close to it. So that kept the spark alive.”
On her website, Lachuné said she first “found the love of music in the pews of a traditional African American church.” That led her to teaching.
“I am here because I’m taking my own advice,” she told the judges. “As a teacher, you’re always sitting on the opposite side of the piano, and you’re always pouring into them and saying, ‘yay!’, you know, ‘take the initiative, don’t get too comfortable, go for it, be yourself.’ And after a while I started getting a little conflicted about it. Because I was like, well am I doing the same thing? So today it’s about coming out here, taking initiative, and being along with my students.”
What song did Lachuné sing for her AGT audition?
Lachuné chose to perform Coldplay’s hit song “Yellow” for her moving and powerful audition. Cowell called it “fantastic,” but also had some advice for the singer.
“Now you gotta work out, ‘what is my lane?’” Cowell said. “Because you want to be a brilliant singer in a specific area, I believe. So that’s what you gotta work out.”
The judges and audience were all cheering by the end of the performance.
“I love this audition too,” Judge Sofia Vergara said. “It was perfect. I wanted to keep listening to you. I loved it.”
The judges were thrilled Lachuné took the leap from teaching to performing.
“I’m very happy that you put yourself first,” Judge Heidi Klum said. “And that you came today. And you showed us who you are. I have a feeling that you just scratched the surface of what you can do.”
As she wiped away tears, Lachuné received four yesses from the judges.
“You showed us that these walls people feel like they’re stuck behind, you make them yourself,” judge Howie Mandel said. “You tore down that wall, and luckily you did, because you made your way right here and your life is about to change.”
Watch more of Lachuné’s journey during America’s Got Talent, airing Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
