- The Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir auditioned for America's Got Talent season 20.
- Choir director Ahkeem Lee explained why the group was so important to their community in Birmingham, Alabama.
- Judge Simon Cowell was so moved, he gave the Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir a Golden Buzzer.
Simon Cowell just gave out his Golden Buzzer for America's Got Talent season 20 — and the act he gave it to had him sharing some high praise.
On the July 8 episode of the NBC series, the Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir appeared onstage to see about making it into the competition. As the group (whose ages range from 10 to their 20s) stood before the judges, choir director Ahkeem Lee gave a little background into how the choir was formed. Originally started "as a fun idea," Ahkeem added the group's initial intention was to benefit the local kids in their hometown community. But it turned out to have an even better result than he expected ... and one that also holds a lot of meaning to those involved.
"We come from a city that is oftentimes criticized, or kind of put last when you think about cities in America," Ahkeem told Simon, Sofía Vergara, Mel B and Howie Mandel in a clip posted on YouTube. "But Birmingham has such a rich history ... we wanted the opportunity to show that Birmingham, Alabama, has some talented young people, and we wanted to do something great for the community."
As the Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir sang a mashup of the traditional "Hymn of Joy" and Pharrell Williams' "JOY (Unspeakable)," their performance had everyone on their feet. What's more, Simon got choked up as he delivered the news the group didn't see coming.
"That was big," he told the kids and Ahkeem before he gave them the coveted Golden Buzzer to move them straight to the live shows. "I could see and hear how much work went into this. Every single one of you played the perfect part. We had lead vocals, we had emotion, and I'm so honored that you would come here on our 20th anniversary. And in return, I want to give you something."
Just like Simon, AGT fans were moved watching the Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir — and they had to share their thoughts online.
"This gave me tears of joy in the biggest way possible," one person wrote in the comments. "Incredible. Agree with Simon. One of the best choirs ever on AGT. Great song, great energy, fantastic!!!!!" another exclaimed. "That choir can SANG! This is the song we need! Congratulations on the golden buzzer!" a different follower added.
After a performance like this, no wonder we're so emotional! We can't wait to see what else the group comes up with later on this season.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
