Not many 14-year-olds could belt out a note-perfect rendition of ‘You Don’t Own Me’, an anthem of female empowerment first recorded by Leslie Gore in 1963. Music Man readers may be surprised to learn, then, that this is exactly what Reid Wilson did on America’s Got Talent just a few days ago, delivering a powerful, goosebump-inducing performance of the classic track and earning a much-coveted Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel for his trouble, sending him straight through to the AGT live shows.
Heidi Klum noticed that Reid was looking incredibly nervous, and she commented as such to fellow judge Howie. But once it was Reid’s time to sing he transformed into a completely different person, moving around the stage with confidence and belting out the track like a professional. To begin with, the audience was quiet, listening to Reid’s voice and perhaps trying to decide what they thought of him. But as the song escalated so did their reaction, and by the end, they were cheering for more.
In the end, it was probably Reid’s beautiful, intricate vocal runs and his incredible final note that sealed the deal for him, as well as his stage presence, which was very impressive considering his young age. “What a gutsy little kid,” Simon Cowell commented to fellow judge Sofia Vergara, who heartily agreed. “We weren’t expecting that,” he went on to say, before describing how he couldn’t believe that such an enormous, powerful voice could emanate from someone who looked so young and sweet.
It was Howie, however, who went further than just giving Reid some much-deserved praise. Asking Reid if he believed in dreams, he marched to the middle of the judge’s panel and slammed down the golden buzzer, sending the audience into ecstatic cheers and leaving Reid crying tears of joy. And if Howie pressing the Golden Buzzer was a dream come true for Reid, so was his television appearance with Jennifer Hudson last year, for which he had the opportunity to perform with the renowned singer.
Given his incredible vocal talent and his exceptionally young age, it’s likely that Reid is going to become a familiar face on our television screens over the coming months, hopefully performing more powerful songs like Leslie Gore’s ‘You Don’t Own Me’. In many ways he is following in the footsteps of his older brother Ryley Tate Wilson, who made it to the Voice semi-finals last year when he was just fifteen years old. That’s one talented pair of brothers, Music Man readers!
If you would like to hear more from this talented artist, you can follow Reid Wilson on [Instagram] for more incredible performances.