In the final scene of the film “A Star Is Born”, Lady Gaga gives a passionate performance of “I’ll Never Love Again”. Her character, Ally, has learnt the song from Bradley Cooper’s Jackson, but she now fulfils her potential by delivering a show-stopping performance of the song. Gaga’s vocal range is so startling it would take a lot of courage for anyone to try to match it. But this is precisely what 14-year-old Iveta Tumasonyte attempted when auditioning for Ireland’s Got Talent in 2019.
The teenager appeared fearless as she stood before the crowd and judges of Louis Walsh, Michelle Visage, Denise van Outen and Jason Byrne. Tumasonyte, who was born in Lithuania and grew up in Ireland, told the judges that she would be singing “I’ll Never Love Again”. Visage told her, “That’s a big song for a 14-year-old. But we are pulling for you.” With this message of support, would the teenager be able to turn in a performance that lived up to the best scene in “A Star is Born”?
As the opening piano bars started, presenter Lucy Kennedy hugged Tumasonyte’s mother at the side of the stage. “Fourteen, she’s a baby!” Kennedy whispered in amazement. “My baby,” Tumasonyte’s mother said proudly, already welling up with tears. Tumasonyte sang the opening, and the crowd cheered upon hearing her accomplished vocal abilities that belied her years.
Reaching the song’s emotional climax, Tumasonyte was confident enough to take the microphone from the stand and walk to the front of the stage. The crowd roared with appreciation, and it was clear that Tumasonyte had a brilliant chance of proceeding to the next round. But what happened next defied all expectations.
Within seconds of the song finishing, Visage rose to her feet and slammed the Golden Buzzer. At this moment, Tumasonyte became overwhelmed by what was happening to her. She tried to speak into the microphone, but her tears of joy prevented her from doing so. Meanwhile, Tumasonyte’s mother bounced with elation on the side of the stage.
The stage became awash with hugs and tears as Visage and Tumasonyte’s mother came on to share her moment of glory. The teen sensation was so overcome with emotion that she seemed genuinely disorientated momentarily, saying, “I don’t know what’s happening!”
With her Golden Buzzer pass, Tumasonyte made it through the semi-final live shows. Here, she gave a stunning performance of Jessie J’s “Flashlight”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to see her make the final.
There’s no doubt that her Golden Buzzer audition performance will live long in the memory. As a testament to this, her audition video has been viewed over 16 million times on YouTube. While she didn’t go on to win the competition, she signalled her great potential for the future. Truly, a star was born.