LOS ANGELES, May 31, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A video of a former Utahn has gone viral after he delivered an awe inspiring audition for “America’s Got Talent”.
Kodi Lee, 22, a former resident of Tooele County, was given the first Golden Buzzer, which guarantees he will advance to the live shows in Hollywood.
Lee was led onstage and to a piano by his mother, who explained that Lee is blind and autistic. After a brief judge interview with mom and son, Lee accompanied himself on piano as he sang Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You.”
His rendition brought several judges and many more audience members to tears, and Lee was given a standing ovation.
Judge Gabrielle Union pushed the show’s golden buzzer, which means Lee will advance to the live show without the threat of interim elimination.
See his performance by clicking the player below.
Among the well known personalities sharing emotional tweets following Lee’s performance were Oprah Winfrey, Perez Hilton, and Utah Jazz player Joe Ingles.
Lee was born in California, but lived in Utah for about six years, attending Copper Canyon Elementary and Stansbury High before his family returned to the west coast, according to The Transcript Bulletin.
The newspaper profiled the then 11-year-old Lee in 2008, according to a more recent article celebrating his “AGT” audition success.
Lee’s website, Kodi Lee Rocks, says he was born with optic nerve hypoplasia and survived “a life-saving surgery at 5 days old.” He was diagnosed with autism at age 3, the site said, adding that it “has never stopped Kodi from reaching for his dreams. Kodi continues to pursue his musical career and his dream is to be a ‘rock star’ performing for thousands of fans.”
The site describes Lee as a “musical prodigious savant,” saying his gifts include perfect pitch and the ability to remember a song after one listen.
See the video below:
https://www.facebook.com/agtauditions/videos/648255668935156/
