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13-year-old ventriloquist sings incredible, sassy version of 'You Don't Own Me' on 'AGT'

Ana-Maria Mărgean only started her hobby in 2020 and is already wowing audiences on "America's Got Talent."

America's Got Talent/Youtube

Ana-Maria Mărgean singing "You Don't Own Me" on "America's Got Talent"

It’s not every day a ventriloquist act is so jaw-dropping that it has to be seen to be believed. But when it does happen, it’s usually on “America’s Got Talent.”

Ana-Maria Mărgean was only 11 years old when she first took to the stage on “Romania’s Got Talent” to show off her ventriloquism skills, an act inspired by videos of fellow ventriloquist and “America’s Got Talent” Season 2 champion Terry Fator.

Using puppets built for her by her parents, the young performer tirelessly spent her quarantine time in 2020 learning how to bring them to life, which led to her receiving a Golden Buzzer and eventually winning the entire series in Romania.

Mărgean is now 13 and a competitor on this season of “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars,” hoping to be crowned the winner and perform her own show in Vegas, just like her hero Fator.


The routine started with a hilarious bit between Mărgean and Waldo, her “rescue dog.” But it’s when she begins singing a bold and brassy version of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” that you know you’re witnessing something truly special.

Take a peek below. Holy moly, those high notes that Mărgean…er…I mean Waldo hit are fabulous.

The feedback from both the viewers and judges was unanimous awe.

“I mean, no wonder you won [RGT]. You are incredible, you are gorgeous, you can sing so beautifully…I love your furry friend, and it was funny, too! I love all the banter and the jokes,” applauded judge Heidi Klum.

Howie Mandel added, “I was laughing. And I cannot believe your story that you just started doing this during lockdown. Like, you don’t even have two years under your belt. That was amazing. The fact that this was something you looked up online, the fact that you were inspired by people you saw on America’s Got Talent—you are an AGT All-Star! The Superfans are gonna love you!”

Prior to her performance, Mărgean shared how winning “Romania’s Got Talent” completely changed her life, allowing her family to afford a brand new home. While her fate might still be up in the air for “AGT,” she’s already made huge strides and has racked up a lot of people rooting for her.


This article originally appeared on 1.31.23

Light Balance Kids on AGT.

“America’s Got Talent” is back, this time reuniting the best of the best for its “All Stars” season. Winners, finalists, fan favorites and others from across the franchise step onto the stage once more to showcase their talent and compete for the title.

As you can imagine, the bar is set pretty high. On Monday’s premiere, Jan 2, one hopeful act truly shined—not only with another Golden Buzzer winning performance, but their incredible display of resilience.

Light Balance Kids, a dance group from Ukraine made up of mostly kids, earned their first Golden Buzzer back in 2019 after wowing judges with their robot themed light-up routine. Since that victory, their home country has been in the throes of war. One member even noted that some had to travel to the show alone. "Some of our parents, like my father, are still in the war in Ukraine. He's fighting for our country for independence and freedom,” she explained.


She went on to share that she’s been woken up at 4 a.m. so that her family could flee to an underground station, overwhelmed by the sounds of “bombs and rockets everywhere.” Needless to say, no child should ever have to experience that.

Another dancer added that after not dancing together since 2019, returning to AGT is an “opportunity to remember what it’s like to have peaceful times.”

She concluded with yet another powerful statement before the group began: “We want to show the world that light always wins.”

The group proceeded to do just that—performing a stunning video-game inspired number that earned a standing ovation from the audience.

Watch below:

The impressive spectacle was dubbed by judge Simon Cowell as the crew’s best. "If anything defines an All-Star, it was that performance, really,” he said, adding that their touching story on top of such talent made it all the more “poignant.”

Howie Mandel seconded, saying, "There's such an amazing message here. Where you come from, at this point it's arguably the darkest place in the world, and you come across the globe to bring us light.”

Then he hit that coveted Golden Buzzer button, and joined them on stage as the confetti dropped, telling the group they're his “favorite act ever!"

With a show like this, seeing astonishing talent is inevitable. But what makes it even more worthwhile is witnessing remarkable displays of humanity. It takes courage and strength to choose hope when surrounded by darkness. These kids have that in spades, along with some super cool dance moves.