On Tuesday's episode of the competition series, 27-year-old Brandon Leake took the stage in front of an empty audience due to the show's health precautions amid the pandemic to perform a spoken-word set. Now I get the chance to be on the forefront and show the world what spoken-word can do. He received enough votes from the Superfans to enter the Top 3 of the night. Most of us don't often walk in other people's shoes. First published on March 1, 2021 / 6:45 AM. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "Love is the most vulnerable thing one will ever have," Leake recited, "And you must learn to hold onto it loosely so when it leaves it won't exit so painfully.". Brandon Leake POWERFUL Poetry About Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake Brandon Leake Will Make You EMOTIONAL With His Spoken Word - America's Got Talent 2020, Brandon Leake Delivers Emotional Spoken Word to His Daughter - America's Got Talent 2020, Brandon Leake Performs a Moving Spoken Word Piece About AGT - America's Got Talent 2020, THE WINNER IS - America's Got Talent 2020, Brandon Leake's EMOTIONAL Performance Receives a Standing Ovation - AGT- All-Stars 2023. Just a raw heart beating in front of us. He received a standing ovation from Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Mandel. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "I did all of this just to give you that. Brandon Leake is an African-American spoken word poet, educator, and motivational speaker. Brandon Leake (born May 4, 1992) is a spoken word poet, educator and motivational speaker and the winner of the fifteenth season of America's Got Talent. Mandel applauded Leake'screativity and vulnerability. But it was very beautiful for me. However, it was Howie who hit that Golden Buzzer the final Golden Buzzer of the season still left in play which automatically advanced Brandon to the live shows. America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays (8 p.m. Last week, a source told PEOPLE that "Simon's healing has been going well," and "he's recovering at home." You don't have to be this hardened individual who steps in there and does this crazy competitive work. The NBC App is the best place to catch up on the most recent season of your favorite shows, watch live TV, and stream movies. "From the person who lives in Wyoming in a farm town who can relate to a city kid from Stockton, California. This was a long time coming. The Stockton, California, native spoke about his mother's . But if this pain and these memories are all that I got left of you, I won't never regret these scars. "This is what an audition is actually like," Cowell said. I could finally say spoken-word has a place in this artistry world. Brandon met his wife Anna at one of his shows in Stockton after she turned up with a mutual friend. The last 11 acts to compete for a spot in the semi-finals were roaster Alex Hooper, hand-balancing siblings Bello Sisters, spoken word artist (and Mandel's Golden Buzzer winner) Brandon Leake, singers Broken Roots, cheerleaders C.A. For myself, it was like, this is my time. He will be part of the AGT Live residency and has a movie in the works. Brandon received enough votes to advance to the Semifinals in Episode 1516 instead of CA Wildcats and Divas & Drummers of Compton. Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell all gave him standing ovations. A Poet Makes Golden Buzzer History On 'America's Got Talent' . But when 27-year-old Stockton poet, educator, and new father Brandon Leake performed in the final slot of this weeks AGT episode, he made up for that. If people missed this show tonight, they need to watch this on YouTube and need to share it. As passionate fans of these shows, we provide news, analysis and fan engagement on Americas Got Talent, Britains Got Talent, The Voice, The X Factor, American Idol, The Four, The Masked Singer, The Worlds Best and its contestants.America's Got Talent 2020https://goo.gl/e12UJ8America's Got Talent News \u0026 Recapshttps://goo.gl/e12UJ8 You also don't have to be this overly enthusiastic person who's chasing after everybody's attention. Leake was the first-ever spoken word poet to win America's Got Talent. The NBC App is the best place to catch up on the most recent season of your favorite shows, watch live TV, and stream movies. "My older brother, Rafael, was killed in Colombia," she said. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Brandon was announced as the winner ahead of Broken Roots, Cristina Rae, Roberta Battaglia and Alan Silva, winning $1 million, a new KIA, and the headlining of a show in Las Vegas. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing. He continued: "There is something very, very special about you. Brandon Leake's Adorable 3-Year-Old Crashed His AGT: All-Stars Audition The Season 15 alum made history with his win in 2020 as the first-ever spoken word poet to compete. "This is going to be much harder for them.". The fourth and final slate of contestants performed in the live quarterfinal rounds of America's Got Talent. Or you could say it started in college after the passing of one of my best friendsme getting the opportunity to have an outlet to share that type of pain. 27; 30 The then 4-year-old adored being a big brother and couldn't wait for all the fun they'd have together. My kids don't bother me when I'm in the shower, my wife doesn't need anything from me when I'm in the shower. ET on NBC. There was something more raw, in the way that it's like singing and talking and just being a human, a cappella no music, no nothing, just a raw heart beating in front of us, Howie marveled. SOFIA VERGARA: Yeah. The poem touched every single Judge, but . Winner, Preliminaries If you don't understand it and you're not moved by it, then you're not a human being. God blessed me with really long arms, so I just put my phone outside the water and type. You could either say it started in middle school with girls who were cute, and that's how I first started writing poetry. Gibson was only 8 months old. The judge's older brother, Rafael, was murdered in 1998 at age 27 during a kidnapping attempt in Colombia, and the memories came flooding back when Brandon Leake recited a poem about his sister's death, according to Fox News. After the final five acts are determined for the live semifinals, next week will be the first of two rounds, with 10 acts competing each Tuesday (Sept. 8 and Sept. 15) at the Universal Studios Hollywood lots. I'm all too familiar with how some family reunions only ever take place on graveyard grass, and a hole can be a safe haven for a soul in this mortal game of hide and go seek. The poem touched every single Judge, but particularly Howie Mandel, who awarded Leake with a Golden Buzzer. What was that experience like? Your season was filmed in 2020, in the thick of the global pandemic, so you didn't have a rapturous audience every week. Brandon Leake's ode to his sister turned an audience-free "AGT" into a night to remember. It doesn't take away from me. ET) on NBC. I just want to compliment you on what you just did because it was extraordinary. He went on to study at Simpson University in Redding, where as well as writing poetry, he played basketball on Simpson's NCAA Division II team. "I can feel your pain; I know what this is. In my early stages of doing spoken-word, there might've been five, 10 people in the crowd, but theres a level of professionalism you have to have. There were probably a lot of people who doubted that a poet could win, but Brandon is the real deal. Brandon Leake's Preliminary performance in Episode AS06 consisted of performing a spoken word poem about a homeless man he met on the street with a moral of not judging a book by its cover. Incredibly, in all of its 15 seasons, Americas Got Talent has never had a spoken-word contestant. That being said, if an audience had been present during this taping, its likely that all spectators would have been rendered stunned and pindrop-silent by Brandons words. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17, 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16, Golden Buzzer Brandon Leake Makes AGT History With Powerful Poetry - America's Got Talent 2020. Below, NBC Insider chats with Leake about his experience on AGT, where he writes his best poems, and more. Later, Leake emotionally said, "My mother's greatest fear is that I won't return home breathing, blood pulsing through these veins enough to still be her Pookie. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. You are so amazing. 'America's Got Talent' Winners: Where Are They Now? "America's Got Talent" returns on NBCJuly 14 for the last audition show of the season. One of the best days of Brandon's life was when his sister, Danielle Marie Gibson, was born. Howie Mandel gave him a standing ovation. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC. Poets just have our local coffee shops. Brandon Leake's Quarterfinals performance in Episode 1515 consisted of reciting a spoken word poem about mother love and racial injustice. Sex Leake, who is AGT's first-ever spoken word poet to compete, was among the standout performances of the night with his moving poem. Brandon Leake has made it clear he's willing to take that leap. Now, Leake is a poetry maven who tours the country. ALL of Brandon Leake's Performances on Season 15 of AGT! He returned for America's Got Talent: All-Stars where he finished in 2nd place in his Preliminary week. - (SINGING) Praise be the day. Spoken word is the name given to poetry written to be performed, and Leake is the first ever performer of this genre to be featured on AGT. Read More 'AGT': Poet Brandon Leake wins star-studded finale with Duchess Meghan, Blake Shelton. Although the audience was missing, the talent was not. 15, All-Stars The activist also liaises with Stockton Police Department, advocating for reform of their use-of-force policies to better the relationship between minorities and the police. NBC Insider is your all-access pass to some of your favorite NBC shows. That's the cost of love: caring for someone's so much that you can't imagine living life without them, staring at a grave. ", Mandel added, "I asked Brandon if his mother had heard this and he said no. Singers can go to, I would say the writing was always personal, but performing was not always personal. Mandel called the performance "raw," adding that "we feel your pain, we feel your love, and you moved me to do this" before reaching for the Golden Buzzer, raining confetti onto Leake and sending him straight to the live shows. "This right here is genuinely a moment in which spoken word got a chance to be on the forefront of the American conscious," he said to People following his victory. Following his victory just a year before, Leake returned to theAGTstage for a special guest performance during Season 16. Information For the finale in Episode 1522, Brandon Leake performed a short spoken word piece prior to the results about Season 15. His daughter, now 6 months old, is named Aaliyah, but her dad calls her "booboo". It's either love or pain, one of the two. Brandon returned as a guest performer in Episode 1610 performing a spoken word piece about his hometown of Stockton. TERRY CREWS: You have received the Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel. In a poem used as an open letter to his father, Leake reflected on their years-long strained relationship and road to healing. Brandon Leake's auditionin Episode 1506 consisted of recitinga spoken word poem about his late sister. 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