Kodi Lee Winner Of 14th Season Of 'America's Got Talent'
Sep 19, 2019 by apost team
The fourteenth season of America’s Got Talent has finally come to a close and Kodi Lee was officially crowned winner on Wednesday night.
The 22-year-old pianist, who is blind and has autism, stole the nation's heart with his audition back in May, which earned him Gabrielle Union’s golden buzzer.
The southern Californian native covered Donny Hathaway's ‘A Song For You’ for his audition, which earned him a standing ovation and the Golden Buzzer.
"You're a great inspiration and a great talent. It was amazing," said Howie Mandel.
Even hard-to-break judge Simon Cowell told the pianist he “would remember [that] moment for the rest of [his] life.”
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“We found out he loved music really early on. He listened and his eyes just went huge and he started singing,” Kodi’s mom, Tina, said at his audition.
“Through music and performing, he was able to withstand living in this world, because when you’re autistic, it’s really hard to do what everybody else does,” she explained to the audience. “It actually has saved his life, playing music.”
The 22-year-old has been performing his music all over the world for many years, according to his official website. Additionally, Lee has “audio photographic memory, in which he can recall music he hears after just one listen,” as stated by his biography.
On Wednesday evening, Lee was joined by the legendary Leona Lewis to perform her hit song ‘You Are The Reason’, which she originally recorded with Calum Scott. The song has a special meaning for the young pianist, as it played when Gabrielle Union first smashed the Golden Buzzer at his audition.
The flawless duet earned him a standing ovation from the crowd and nothing but pure emotion from the judging panel.
As the winner of this season’s AGT, Lee won $1,000,000 as well as the opportunity to headline the AGT show in Las Vegas. He was accompanied on stage with his mother when the winner was announced by Terry Crews.
“I feel so amazing,” he said, once his name was announced. “Unbelievable!”
You can watch the moment Kodi Lee is declared the winner in the video below:
What did you think of Kodi Lee in this season? Would you have chosen him as this season’s rightful winner too? Let us know in the comments - and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!