When 13-year-old farm boy Chase Varnes sang a heartfelt original song on America’s Got Talent 2025, it seemed his audition was about to go down the toilet when Simon Cowell abruptly cut him off. Chase and the crowd looked absolutely devastated when Cowell said, “I hate to do this. I didn’t love the song.” However, the big boss did give him one more chance, saying, “However, I like you.” He then gave Chase the chance to continue with another song, which he did with Ed Sheeran’s “Life Goes On.”
The mood picked up as the Vancouver Island lad began singing Sheeran’s sugary pop hooks while strumming away confidently on his acoustic guitar. The crowd stood and clapped as Chase put his stamp on the pop song, adding some country grit. The result was a slam dunk, and his June 18 audition did some major numbers, hitting 1.1 million views in four days. The Music Man has to say that Chase’s audition has everything we love to see from AGT, and we can’t wait to see what else he delivers this season!
The judges instantly saw Chase’s potential, with Howie Mandel saying that he reminds him of a “young Justin Bieber.” Heidi Klum agreed, saying that the second song was a big improvement and noting that “the girls are gonna go crazy for you.” Mel B has shown herself to be a bit more selective this season, and she displayed this again by saying, “I can see your nervousness and you’re not quite there for me yet.” The crowd didn’t like this one bit and booed her criticism.
Cowell then said, “I do believe that you have something. I can tell how much you love music, and you’ve got everything going for you. The audience loved you.” Chase then went home with three yes votes, which the crowd was stoked to see. So far, Chase has only delivered one performance on America’s Got Talent. However, he’s not the only 13-year-old to deliver a stunning audition on the show, as young Mia Soleil Sanchez delivered a powerhouse cover of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” in 2024.
Cowell was absolutely right when he noted how much the audience loved Chase. Fans at home were also impressed by the young talent’s audition and added comments such as “Simon has a talent for spotting amazing people. He does the hard thing of calling them out to bring out that person’s full potential. Amazing young man” and “When he did the second song for me that showed that he can take a song and make it his own. He has got this charm to him that I absolutely love. Definitely think this kid could be going places in a few years.”