A nine-year-old girl left America’s Got Talent’s judges stunned with her amazing rendition of Michael Bolton’s ‘How Am I Supposed To Live Without You’ Tuesday night.
Celine Tam, from Hong Kong, first wowed the audience in June when she hit every high note in Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On. The young singer also made quite an impact on the judges when she revealed her parents are such big fans of the Canadian singer, they named her Celine as a tribute to her while her little sister is called Dionne.
On Tuesday night, however, Celine departed from Dion’s repertoire and opted to sing Bolton’s 1989 hit—a choice that won guest judge Laverne Cox’s heart.
Nailed it! Nine-year-old singer Celine Tam left America’s Got Talent’s judges stunned with her amazing rendition of Michael Bolton’s ‘How Am I Supposed To Live Without You’ Tuesday night
She did it before: Celine, from Hong Kong, first wowed the audience in June when she hit every high note in Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On
Impressed: Laverne Cox clearly loved the little girl’s performance and couldn’t stop raving about her talent, until she awarded her the golden buzzer
Judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell and Mel B clearly remembered Celine when she stepped onstage for the third round of judge cuts.
Klum wished her the best of luck, but it seemed unlikely from the very first notes of the song that Celine would need it.
The nine-year-old showed off her powerful voice as she made her way through the ballad, prompting the judges to smile in acknowledgement of her talent.
Even Cowell, known for being one of the harshest judges on television, watched with a look of slight disbelief as Celine completed her performance, apparently effortlessly.
Her parents and the rest of the audience gave her a standing ovation before Cox started raving about Celine’s talents.
‘I just want to eat you up and, like, take you home. You were so adorable and so cute and your voice is amazing!’ Cox told the little girl. ‘You are so talented.’
Praised: Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell and Mel B were all impressed by Celine’s performance, and Cox’s decision to hit the golden buzzer sent Celine straight to the live shows
Can’t believe it: Celine seemed stunned by the honor, which is the highest distinction a contestant can receive at this stage of the competition
Celine sweetly told Cox ‘You’re so beautiful too’, and the Orange Is The New Black star simply could not get over the talented young singer.
‘I’m really blown away. You are so talented. Unbelievable. So adorable,’ Cox added.
The actress was so convinced that Celine deserved to remain in the competition that she ended up pressing the golden buzzer, sending the little girl straight to the live shows.
Celine seemed stunned by the honor, which is the highest distinction a contestant can receive at this stage of the competition. She watched with her mouth wide open in surprise as golden confetti rained down onto the stage.
Cox got up from her chair and went to hug the little girl, while Celine’s parents cheered among the audience.
The little girl’s success comes almost two months after her stunning rendition of My Heart Will Go On during the audition stage.
Hugging it out: Cox got up from her chair and went to hug the little girl after golden confetti rained down onto the stage
Audience: Celine’s parents, who named her in tribute to Dion, watched and encouraged their daughter from the audience with her little sister Dionne
Adorable: Celine sweetly told Cox ‘You’re so beautiful too’ as the actress complimented her, and the Orange Is The New Black star simply could not get over the talented young singer
They’ve seen her before: Judges Mandel, Klum, Cowell and Mel clearly remembered Celine when she stepped onstage for the third round of judge cuts
‘This is my dream, being in America’s Got Talent,’ the little girl told the judges at the time. She then explained she is also enjoys listening to Dion’s tunes and wants to have a career like hers.
The Dion connection played a huge part in the girl’s life, as it led her father to realize just how talented his daughter is.
They were in the car, she recounted, when suddenly she started singing My Heart Will Go On, leaving her father stunned.
When time came to wow the judges, Celine picked the same song, revealing an impressively powerful voice.
Reward: Celine previously earned high praise from the judges in June when she hit every note of Dion’s My Heart Will Go On
Meant to be: Little Celine previously revealed her mom and dad love the Canadian singer so much, they named her baby sister—who was also present in her father’s arms—Dionne
Sticking the landing: The little girl secured her spot in the America’s Got Talent hall of fame by nailing the song’s most challenging chorus, which contains its highest note
With remarkable aplomb, the girl delivered the first line of the 1997 Titanic hit, then moved on directly to its most dramatic part: that one chorus where Dion hits the highest note.
There was palpable anticipation on the judge’s side, with Howie bringing his hands in prayer position in front of his face, while Celine’s dad gave her a nod of encouragement from backstage.
Then, the little girl secured her spot in the America’s Got Talent hall of fame by nailing the challenging chorus.
She received, naturally, a standing ovation from the public. Judges Mel, Cowell, Klum and Mandel all looked duly impressed by her stunning performance—just like they did this Tuesday night.