I need you to return home my Pookie, to be your mom.' In 2011, Vergara opened up about the death of her older brother Rafael in a Parade cover story, telling the magazine about how the tragedy affected her family members. It's amazing to me that on Season 15, its the first time that we're hearing somebody of spoken word. After graduating, Leake joined a slam poetry team in Sacramento. Incredibly, in all of its 15 seasons, Americas Got Talent has never had a spoken-word contestant. TERRY CREWS: You have received the Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel. Seasons The same way the Latino woman from Florida can relate to a young black kid from Cali," said Leake. Brandon Leake's Preliminary performance in Episode AS06 consisted of performing a spoken word poem about a homeless man he met on the street with a moral of not judging a book by its cover. ", She added at the time: "With so many bad things happening, it creates a tough skin. I know what it is to have somebodytaken from you without you knowing, but it was very beautiful for me.". The Stockton, California, native spoke about his mother's . Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel were back again without a guest judge or Simon Cowell, who broke his back on Aug. 8 at his Malibu, California, home when he fell off an electric bike. "It is not our most dire moments that define us, but instead how we respond to them. The 27-year-old from Stockton stole hearts on the national stage by telling a very personal story about the death of his baby sister. SIMON COWELL: Really-- this is a very difficult thing for me to judge. That's the cost of love: caring for someone's so much that you can't imagine living life without them, staring at a grave. Brandon's words were able to take a 64-year-old white guy and put him inside the heart and mind of an African-American mother whose just saying goodbye and fearing for her son's return," he said. Brandon Leake is AGT royalty. She did this really sweet poem about her relationship with Jesus. It's either love or pain, one of the two. Then, eight months later, Danielle passed away. Never give up on this dream. I could tell my producer, it wasn't the first time he had heard spoken-word. Your poems are so raw. She's here with me now," Leake said, leading Mandel to ask if shewas backstage. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Leake tells his most personal stories to connect with others and inspire people far and wide. Surprising Cause Of Death Revealed For 37-Year-Old ABC News Producer. Brandon Leake's AGT Golden Buzzer Audition. "America's Got Talent" returns on NBCJuly 14 for the last audition show of the season. Relive all of Brandon's full performances from the season. Get The America's Got Talent App: http://bit.ly/AGTAppDownload Subscribe for More: http://bit.ly/AGTSub America's Got Talent Tuesdays 8/7c on NBC! Stream on Peacock: https://pck.tv/3cCQGhHAMERICA'S GOT TALENT ON SOCIALLike AGT: https://www.facebook.com/agtFollow AGT: https://twitter.com/agtAGT Instagram: http://instagram.com/agtFind America's Got Talent trailers, full episode highlights, previews, promos, clips, and digital exclusives here.NBC ON SOCIAL:YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nbcTwitter: http://Twitter.com/NBCFacebook: http://Facebook.com/NBCInstagram: http://instagram.com/nbcABOUT AMERICA'S GOT TALENTAmericas Got Talent,\" NBCs No. Go behind-the-scenes, stay on top of breaking news, hang with the stars, and much more. Below, NBC Insider chats with Leake about his experience on AGT, where he writes his best poems, and more. Brandon Leake's Semifinals performance in Episode 1517 consisted of reciting a spoken word poem in the form of letters to his dad about how he missed out on many of Brandon's major life moments, eventually making peace. During the Quarterfinals, the poet unveiled a timely original poem about the power of a Black mother's love and its tie to police brutality and racial injustice. Brandon Leake has made it clear he's willing to take that leap. Let's find out#GoldenBuzzer #BrandonLeake . A Poet Makes Golden Buzzer History On 'America's Got Talent' . But America's Got Talent was a place that said, Hey, we'll welcome you if you're good. And fortunately for me, I was good enough to make the show the second time around. To let it all hang loose on stage and leave nothing behind. The activist also liaises with Stockton Police Department, advocating for reform of their use-of-force policies to better the relationship between minorities and the police. Very much she's here with me now, Brandon answered. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. As passionate fans of these shows, we provide news, analysis and fan engagement on Americas Got Talent, Britains Got Talent, The Voice, The X Factor, American Idol, The Four, The Masked Singer, The Worlds Best and its contestants.America's Got Talent 2020https://goo.gl/e12UJ8America's Got Talent News \u0026 Recapshttps://goo.gl/e12UJ8 Howie Mandel gave him a standing ovation. Read More 'AGT': Poet Brandon Leake wins star-studded finale with Duchess Meghan, Blake Shelton. It's no exaggeration to say thatAmerica's Got Talentfans had never seen anyone like Brandon Leake. All four judges were never present every time Brandon performed. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. I wish he could've been here," Vergara said. His daughter, now 6 months old, is named Aaliyah, but her dad calls her "booboo". "There was something more, so raw. Brandon Leake's Finals performance in Episode 1521 consisted of reciting a spoken word poem in the form of a prayer to his daughter Aaliyah. (He even earned a Golden Buzzer.) A good number of us really cheered each other on, even when we were competitiveIf you do great, that doesn't mean I can't, Do you have any advice for the Acts competing on, this roundup of his best moments from the show. His parents are Tyrone and Carla Leake-Gibson. I just want to compliment you on what you just did, because it was extraordinary.". "I had a nightmare that I would be 90 years old doing this show and nobody would be watching it, judge Simon Cowell said while looking back to the empty Pasadena Civic Auditorium. There were probably a lot of people who doubted that a poet could win, but Brandon is the real deal. I shouldn't be judging it, I just want to compliment you on what you just did because it was extraordinary.". The Season 15 winner is the competition's first (and only) spoken-word poetry champion. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing.". "My older brother, Rafael, was killed in Colombia," she said. There's something very, very special about you. NBC Insider is your all-access pass to some of your favorite NBC shows. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC. He received a standing ovation from Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Mandel. Danielle's presence was definitely felt. Congratulations to Brandon Leake for WINNING Season 15 of America's Got Talent! / Good Day Sacramento. Brandon Leake is a poet from Season 15 of America's Got Talent. There was really nowhere else to go. Brandon Leake, 27, a community college counselor in Stockton, California, wowed the judges with an emotional performance of a poem that paid tribute to his late sister, who died as a baby. Later, Leake emotionally said, "My mother's greatest fear is that I won't return home breathing, blood pulsing through these veins enough to still be her Pookie. Brandon Leake, the spoken-word poet who won the 2020 edition of America's Got Talent, has signed with UTA for all areas. The judge's older brother, Rafael, was murdered in 1998 at age 27 during a kidnapping attempt in Colombia, and the memories came flooding back when Brandon Leake recited a poem about his sister's death, according to Fox News. How communal the talent pool became. All-Stars Now, Leake is a poetry maven who tours the country. first episode of Season 15 impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, How 'AGT' is reshaping season during COVID-19, from no audiences to outdoor Judge Cuts, Sofia Vergara falls in her haste to get away from shocking eye-bulging rapper, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. However, that didn't seem to affect the emotion in the room. Brandon was the first ever artist of his genre to feature on the show and has been awarded the $1,000,000 prize, as well as a headline slot at a show in Las Vegas. Brandon Leake's Quarterfinals performance in Episode 1515 consisted of reciting a spoken word poem about mother love and racial injustice. What did getting the Golden Buzzer during your audition feel like? Go behind-the-scenes, stay on top of breaking news, hang with the stars, and much more. Exclusive:How 'AGT' is reshaping season during COVID-19, from no audiences to outdoor Judge Cuts. Mandel called the performance "raw," adding that "we feel your pain, we feel your love, and you moved me to do this" before reaching for the Golden Buzzer, raining confetti onto Leake and sending him straight to the live shows. You give the same effort of performance and excellence for 10 people as you do for 10,000. This story contains details from the June 30 episode of "America's Got Talent.". Don't go out there trying to be somebody else. You don't have to be this hardened individual who steps in there and does this crazy competitive work. Until Leake, 27, burst onto the scene in June with an emotional poem dedicated to his sister, who died as a baby, a spoken-word artist had never even appeared on the show, let alone captivate. This show is about talent as much as it is about story. Brandon met his wife Anna at one of his shows in Stockton after she turned up with a mutual friend. The reason I became so much better was actually 'cause I failed making the show the first time. If you don't understand it and you're not moved by it, then you're not a human being. Leake was born into a single parent home with his mother, Carla on the south side of Stockton, California. After his win, Brandon said: "For an art form that has not been on the mainstream ever to have a chance to win Americas Got Talent is bigger than anything. For myself, it was like, this is my time. And then I just keep my shoulders from getting wet. After not making it in 2017, I said, Hey, I really want to try this out and get better at it. So I toured, I did a lot of work. ), "It's been great to have all those guest judges, but I do miss Simon. America's Got Talent Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. At present, he is 30 years old and his sun sign is Taurus. "And as I stared at that screen, I couldn't help but think I was looking at a mirror image of myself being choked out for merely existing or for daring to be more than three-fifths of what them folk thought them to be. Tune in next week, when the Americas Got Talent auditions once again, without a live audience conclude. There's something very, very special about you. Burt Bacharach, Legendary Composer Of Pop Songs, Dies At 94 . Leake, a former high school English teacher from Stockton, California, had welcomed his first child 14 days prior to shooting the tryout. We feel your pain, we feel your love.". Table of Biography [ show] Early Life Brandon Leake was born on May 4, 1992. Simon Cowell Is 'Very Happy' to Be Home 1 Week After Breaking His Back and Undergoing Surgery, Sofia Vergara Recalls Brother's Death During Powerful AGT Audition: 'I Can Feel Your Pain', AGT: Watch Archie Williams, Brandon Leake and More Season 15 Finalists Perform for $1M Prize. me getting the opportunity to have an outlet to share that type of pain. And sometimes it designs these alternate realities where she is still here, still alive, and all the things I wish we could have done are played again and again and again, Brandon continued, as his voice began to quaver. The poem touched every single Judge, but particularly Howie Mandel, who awarded Leake with a Golden Buzzer. The NBC App is the best place to catch up on the most recent season of your favorite shows, watch live TV, and stream movies. You are so amazing. "Love is the most vulnerable thing one will ever have," Leake recited, "And you must learn to hold onto it loosely so when it leaves it won't exit so painfully.". When or if Cowell, 60, will return has yet to be determined. To know that an art form that was so underground for so long got the public eye and took a win, that's more than any million-dollar prize could ever be.". Cowell called his act an "amazing tribute." He went on to study at Simpson University in Redding, where as well as writing poetry, he played basketball onSimpson'sNCAA Division II team. Opera Singer Shocks 'America's Got Talent' Judges with Cline Dion, Ariana Grande Impressions, 'America's Got Talent' 's Heidi Klum Says 'I Might Poop Myself' from Nerves About Season 17, Howie Mandel Calls His Golden Buzzer Act the 'Most Surprising, Jaw-Dropping Moment' He's Seen on 'AGT', 'AGT' Season 17 Starts Production: 'I Could Not Be Any More Excited,' Heidi Klum Says See First Look, 'AGT: Extreme' Crowns Season 1 Champion: 'He Deserves This!' We have to understand each other and be compassionate, have empathy for each other. "I'm still haunted by these nightmares 'cause I have a really creative mind, and sometimes it designs these alternate realities where she is still here," he said. . "This is going to be much harder for them.". I am so grateful to be in this country. There was another poet who was trying out with me. What surprised you most about your AGT experience? Last week on'AGT': Sofia Vergara falls in her haste to get away from shocking eye-bulging rapper. 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