America’s Got Talent judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum received a breath of fresh air on Tuesday night (June 27) when South Carolina native Lechuné auditioned.
“Tell me: Why have you waited so long to do something like this, because something obviously has held you back,” Cowell asked the hopeful, who a moment prior revealed she was a voice teacher and student.
“I grew up in a singing family, I spent most of my life observing them do it,” Lechuné told the judges. “I just never pictured myself actually having the moment to be on stage, and so that held me back, but I started teaching because I learned that if I can’t do the thing, try to work close to it, and so that kept the spark alive.”
She continued, “I am here because I am taking my own advice. As a teacher, I’m always sitting on the opposite side of the piano, and you’re always pouring into them and saying, ‘Yay, take the initiative. Don’t get too comfortable. Go for it. Be yourself.’ And after a while, I started getting a little convicted about it because I was like, ‘Am I doing the same thing?’ And so today is about coming out here, taking initiative, and being along with my students.”
After sharing her touching story, the 31-year-old launched into a cover of Coldplay‘s “Yellow” and made the song her own with a full-bodied tone, multiple high notes and well-placed vibrato. “And your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones/ Turn into something beautiful/ And you know, for you, I’d bleed myself dry/ For you, I’d bleed myself dry/ Look how they shine for you/ Look how they shine for you,” she passionately sang on the ending chorus before receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
Following Lachuné’s performance of “Yellow” — the original Coldplay version of the track peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 — she received four yeses from the judges, and moved on to the next round of the competition.
Watch Lechuné’s performance above.
