A dream come true! Mandy Harvey blew away the judges on America’s Got Talent on the Tuesday, June 6, episode with her incredible voice and inspirational, tearjerking story.
While introducing herself to the judges and the audience, Harvey, 29, explained that she lost her hearing at the age of 18 due to a connective tissue disorder, which caused her nerves to deteriorate.
“I’ve been singing since I was 4,” she told judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel. “I left music after I lost my hearing and then figured out how to get back into singing with muscle memory, using visual tuners and trusting my pitch.”
For her performance, Harvey removed her shoes so that she could feel the rhythm through the floor of the stage. She sang an original song titled “Try” while playing a ukulele, telling viewers that she wrote the song to re-inspire herself. “After I lost my hearing I gave up, but I wanted to do more with my life that just give up,” she said.
The singer received a standing ovation from the crowd and all four judges. “Mandy, I don’t think you’re going to need a translator for this,” Cowell, 57, said before pushing his coveted Golden Buzzer, sending Harvey straight through to the live shows.
“It was incredible. I’ve done this a long time. That was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen and heard,” Cowell said as he hugged Harvey on stage.
America’s Got Talent airs on NBC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.