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13-year-old's unique 'Bohemian Rhapsody' rendition was so impressive it even wowed Queen

Angelina Jordan's "America's Got Talent" audition earned her an instant Golden Buzzer.

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Angelina Jordan blew everyone away with her version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody."

We've shared a lot of memorable "America's Got Talent" auditions over the years here at Upworthy, from physics-defying dance performances to jaw-dropping magic acts to heart-wrenching singer-songwriter stories. And after watching Angelina Jordan's "AGT: The Champions" audition, we've added it to the list because wow.

Jordan came to "AGT: The Champions" in 2020 as the winner of Norway's Got Talent, which she won in 2014 at the mere age of 7 with her impressive ability to seemingly channel Billie Holiday. For the 2020 audition, she sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," but a version that no one had ever heard before.

With just a guitar, a piano, and her Amy Winehouse-esque voice, Jordan brought the fan-favorite Queen anthem down to a smooth, melancholy ballad that's simply riveting to listen to—especially considering that Jordan was only 13 years old when she did this.

Watch:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

What this video doesn't show is Heidi Klum hitting the Golden Buzzer faster than you can sing, "Nothing really matters to meeee." The judges were blown away by Jordan's performance, as were the people in the comments.

"That's a ONE in A BILLION voice right there. Just amazing," wrote one commenter.

"I am typically not a fan of songs being redone particular to such a magnitude," shared another. "They almost always fall short of the original. But to completely rearrange a song in the manner that she has, from a legend, and then make you forget about how the original even sounded because her rendition is so good is utterly amazing."

"As Freddie once said, 'Do whatever you want with my music as long as you don't make it boring.' I think he'd really like this," shared another.

Though Queen's beloved lead vocalist Freddie Mercury is no longer with us, the band did offer words of praise for Jordan's performance, retweeting her audition video with the comment, "Wow! What a rendition of #BohemianRhapsody."

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is such an iconic song, it's hard for anyone to do a cover of it justice. But 13-year-old Angelina Jordan managed it masterfully. In bare feet, no less, which she explained in a thank you video to Heidi Klum for the Golden Buzzer honor.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

"When I was around 6 years old, I see this little girl around my age," Jordan shared. "I gave my shoes to her because she had scars on her feet and it was really cold. So whenever I'm on the stage, I was reminded about all the children that don't have any parents, clothes, and shoes. She's always in my heart." Jordan has shared that she "made a promise many years ago to a beautiful soul" to not wear shoes on stage—a promise she has kept.

Jordan would move on to the Top 10 in "AGT: The Champions," and though she didn't take home the top prize, she did impress the audience with another classic rock tune, Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."

- YouTubeyoutu.be


Since her time on AGT, Angelina has been singing her heart out, covering other Queen songs and even performing the official FIFA anthem in 2023. You can follow her on YouTube and TikTok and find her singles (including "Bohemian Rhapsody") on Spotify.

This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Audience goes wild over Indian metal band's kickass 80s rock cover of 'Set Fire to the Rain'

“Authentic 80's style hard rock coming from unexpected places!”

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Bet you've never heard Adele like that before

The ultra catchy, outrageously flamboyant, and shamelessly fun sounds of 80s hair metal might have just made a comeback, all thanks to a rock band hailing from India.

The group, called Girish and the Chronicles, recently auditioned for America’s Got Talent with an explosive rock-n-roll covers of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” which basically set a proverbial fire to the stage with crazy guitar riffs, insane vocals, and yes, totally bodacious hair-dos.

Girish Pradhan, the lead singer, barely got two (incredibly impressive) notes outs before audience members popped out their seats and started jamming along.

Watch:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Down in the comments, listeners were floored not only by the band’s sheer level of talent, but at the cool cross cultural-ness of it all.

“They came for an audition and gave us a concert.”

“Authentic 80's style hard rock coming from unexpected places!”

“Bringing 80s rock back with a bang! I never thought I’d hear a rock version of an Adele song, but it was fabulous! I hope these guys get the recognition they deserve.”

“You guys are even more solid and powerful than most American bands these days. You've brought back the rock spirit. Wow!"

“As an American i can say he's better than most bands out here. Who knew the American 80’s rock would be back with a vengeance, from India.”

Even judge Howie Mandel noted, "You come from the other side of the globe and do something that is so traditionally American...it was so beautiful."

"You can’t fake the reaction behind us. What we just felt behind us, [from] the audience, was real," added Simon Cowell, just before commending Girish Pradhan by saying, "Your voice is really, really good, by the way."

The band, which has been together for 16 years, previously opened for Guns N’ Roses during their Abu Dhabi show, in addition to opening for Hoobastank, Poets of the Fall, Destruction, Tessarac, and Chris Adler.

But still, they “had been dreaming of performing in America ever since we got introduced to rock-n-roll.” According to Louder Sound, the band shared that, "We had a lot of struggles, but we were also living our lives to the fullest. More than anything, we were a group of four guys without a care in the world, who just wanted to get on stage and rock."

If that’s not the absolute essence of rock, we don’t know what is.

Stay up-to-date with all things Girish and the Chronicles on their Instagram page

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Brazilian dance team creates stunning light show dedicated to the Amazon rainforest for 'AGT'

"It was actually magic. One of my favorite ever acts," gushed Simon Cowell.

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There was no way they were leaving that stage without a Golden Buzzer.

America’s Got Talent is back, baby. With twenty seasons under its belt, you’d think that we’ve seen it all, but then there always seems to be at least one act so fresh that it instantly raises the bar once more.

This time, that honor belongs to Lightwire Theater, a Brazilian-based company that incorporates dance and technology to create what they call “immersive art content.” And honestly…that description doesn’t even begin to cover it.

During their AGT audition, audiences were transported to the Amazon rainforest with slinking jaguars, dancing monkeys, colorful birds, and even a giant boa constrictor. Four human performers donning black suits with LED lights, transformed into these jungle creatures as giant animations on screens provided a lush backdrop.

All the while, a powerful soundtrack of drums and animal sounds played in the background, really driving it all home.

Watch:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The routine was immediately met with uproarious applause from the audience and judges. But perhaps no one was as moved as Simon Cowell, who called it “magic.”

“This is one of the most beautiful, stunning acts that I have seen across all the Got Talents. You were so emotional. I don’t know why you were nervous, because you were always going to get one of — you know what’s coming…” he said, just before pressing the Golden Buzzer button.

Clearly, winning wasn’t the only motive for Lightwire. The company also wanted to (literally) illuminate the role rainforests play in all of our lives.

As one of the team members from Light Wire pointed out, “The Amazon is really important. The Amazon really matters [to the world].”

We hear a lot about the threat technology poses to making art, but here is a beautiful example that it can just as easily enhance art when used thoughtfully and intentionally. Time will tell as to whether or not Lightwire will win the whole enchilada (although, couldn't you see this show happening in Vegas, like yesterday?) but regardless, it has already won over many, many hearts and shown us what innovation really looks like.

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Watch dancers with 'insane core strength' appear to float in mid-air for iconic AGT audition

Instant AGT legends.

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Sofia Vergara's jaw dropping while watching dance audition

"America's Got Talent" auditions have given us all manner of dance performances, from expressive individuals to impressive group numbers that got the judges praising and the audience roaring. But AIRFOOTWORKS' gravity-defying, core-busting dance routine, performed in 2024, is one that will surely go down as one of the greatest dance performances in AGT history.

As the music began, no one knew what the apparatus made of poles and bars surrounding the dancers was for. But it soon became apparent that they would use it to lift themselves off the ground. What started with a simple pull-up, however, turned into an incredible synchronized dance to Justin Bieber's "Where Are U Now" in which the dancers synchronized their movements without their feet even touching the ground.

Watch:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The dancers, who hail from Japan, were mentored by Kenichi Eniba, who won AGT Season 8 in 2013. Their performance earned them a standing ovation from all four judges and the audience.

"Everything about the performance was perfect," said judge Sofia Vergara.

"It was so creative and so different—and so difficult, by the way," said judge Simon Cowell. "So you have a great mentor. However, even if you've got a great mentor, you've still got to be able to do what your mentor helps you to do. And you did it immaculately."

People in the comments were equally blown away.

"How do people find out they have talents like this??? 😭✋🏼🔥"

"My toxic trait is thinking I can do this without any difficulty 😅."

"Insane core strength."

"OBSESSED with this audition."

"What kind of core strength is this... flawless,🔥💯🔥"

Many people were disappointed that none of the judges hit the Golden Buzzer.

"Why no Golden Buzzer?!?!?! If I've seen any act more deserving of it, I can't recall. These guys were AWESOME!!!!!!!"

"Did they run out of golden buzzers? This is worthy."

"THEY DESERVED THE GOLDEN BUZZER!"

"This performance absolutely deserved a golden buzzer. It was just spectacular."

"Can only assume all the judges were so enthralled and mesmerized by this performance they forgot there was a golden buzzer."

AIRFOOTWORKS would end up making it all the way to the show's finale, where the group performed to an EDM mix by Steve Aoki. While they didn't receive enough votes to win the entire competition, they have certainly earned AGT royalty status.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

For more talent auditions, you can follow America's Got Talent on YouTube and TikTok.

This article originally appeared last year.

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