Ben Lapidus is back, and he’s cheesier than ever. On Tuesday night’s (Aug. 9) episode of America’s Got Talent, the singer used his slot in the semifinals to once again sing original track “The Parmesan Cheese Song,” which has gone viral since his live audition in May.
Lapidus first appeared on stage in a denim jumpsuit, strumming his guitar solo against a backdrop of dim light, “The world is my oyster/ But I can’t find the pearl,” he sings before dramatically stopping mid-song.
“Sorry, can someone take this?” he says before someone off stage grabs his guitar. “This was a mistake. I’m the parmesan cheese guy!” Lapidus then exclaims, ripping off his jumpsuit to reveal a leather two-piece set. The singer is then joined by a backing rock band and flaming screens as he sings the passionate track about wanting more parmesan cheese when going to Italian restaurants.
“We will not remain silent/ We will not give in/ We will die before I let Big Parma win/ We are not embarrassed/ We always want more parmesan,” Lapidus gutturally screams.
The singer’s rock rendition of “The Parmesan Cheese Song” sadly failed to impress judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel — who gave him three Xs — though Heidi Klum thoroughly enjoyed the performance and rocked out with Lapidus as he sang. The reaction was similar to his audition, in which he got four Xs from all the judges, but convinced them to send him to the next round when the audience egged him to continue with the acoustic version of the track.
“I feel like I had run every scenario in my head and tried to kind of mentally prepare, but that was one that I never, ever expected or saw coming,” Lapidus told NBC Insider. “As soon as I heard the Xs just cascading, something really clicked in my brain where I just felt this complete freedom in the failure. Now I can just do whatever I want and be completely unhinged. And as soon as that happened, I just clicked in with the vibe in the room and the audience and realized something incredible was happening.”
“I didn’t like it, I HATED it, but then I loved it! #AGT BEST WORST Song of the Season!” Cowell later wrote of the track on Instagram after experiencing it the first time.
Watch Lapidus’ new version of “The Parmesan Cheese Song” below.
