“America’s Got Talent” has announced 44 acts that will compete during the live shows on Season 19, including Reid Wilson of Montgomery. That’s no surprise to anyone who watched Wilson’s audition for the NBC reality series, which thrilled all four judges and especially Howie Mandel.
The 14-year-old singer covered “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore, powering through the vocals and giving the song a mature spin that clearly startled the judging panel. Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara gave the teen phenom a big thumb’s up, but Mandel went one step further. He gave Wilson a coveted Golden Buzzer, the highest seal of approval from a judge on AGT. It allows a contestant to move directly from the auditions to the live shows.
Mandel said he wasn’t expecting Wilson to sound like a seasoned pro on stage, much less evoke the late, great Aretha Franklin in his cover of “You Don’t Own Me.”
“I was bowled over because I was surprised,” Mandel said. “I got surprised, first of all, you’re just a 14-year-old kid from Alabama, so I would imagine, I put myself in your position, you were very nervous. And you did come off incredibly nervous. That was a surprise. And you know what? That stage is where dreams come true. Do you believe in dreams? Well, one of them is about to come true.”
Mandel then hit the golden buzzer at the judges’ table, showering Wilson with confetti and prompting applause and cheers from the studio audience. “Congratulations, buddy, you are amazing,” Mandel said. “Why did I do it? I did it because everything, the sound and who you are is nothing close to anything I was expecting. You are a big talent. Aretha was in the room. You are the best.”
Wilson might be young, but he’s stranger to TV. The teen was in the spotlight in November on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” He also comes from a talented family, as the younger brother of Ryley Tate Wilson, a semifinalist on “The Voice” in 2023.
