It was the Judge Cuts round of the eleventh series of America’s Got Talent in 2016. Brian Justin Crum had already massively impressed with his Audition performance, where he received a “yes” from four of the judges for his version of Queen’s “Somebody To Love”. Therefore, anticipation was high for Crum to deliver this time around. “We meet again,” Mel B said in greeting, smiling with excitement.
Wearing a black leather jacket, the 28-year-old singer from Los Angeles laid out his intentions for his performance. “I want people to feel things when I sing,” he told the judges. Then, he took a moment to compose himself for this make-or-break moment. The slow piano music began for Crum’s cover of Radiohead’s 1993 breakthrough single “Creep”. It was a challenging song to have chosen, not least because he would be trying to emulate the great Thom Yorke in his vocal performance.
Crum began gently, singing the verse and chorus in a soft, broken voice. It was when the song went into the middle eight that he showed what he was made of. Singing the refrain, “He’s running out again”, Crum gave a cry of anguish that had everyone in the audience watching in stunned silence. Despite the obvious emotion on display, he hit every note perfectly.
As the song ended, there was a moment of silence. Then, the crowd erupted. The judges and audience members all stood to their feet to give Crum a sustained applause. “Oh my God!” Howie Mandel exclaimed. The crowd eventually quietened down enough so that Simon Cowell could give his verdict.
“When you go on a show like this,” Cowell said, “and you’ve got two or three minutes, you’ve got to find your own lane. Because if you can turn a song into a performance, people remember you. Every time we’ve seen you, you’ve put on a performance”.
The other judges were equally effusive in their praise. Heidi Klum commented, “I think you’re one of the best singers we have on the show this season.” Mandel praised Crum for his choice of song and called his version a “wonderfully moving rendition – perfect!”
This strong performance saw Crum go to the quarter-finals where he sang Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”. He was given a standing ovation by the judges and received the votes needed to make it through to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, he performed Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and once again received a standing ovation from the judges.
In the final, he impressed with a version of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”. He finished fourth in the final, behind Jon Dorenbos, The Clairvoyants and Grace VanderWaal. For his finale performance, he went back to “Creep”, which had done so much to boost his run on the show. If you would like to see more from Brian Justin Crum, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Facebook or Instagram. You can also visit his official website for more information.