In season 14, the Detroit Youth Choir came this close to winning, finishing second only to Kodi Lee. “We came in second place,” choir director Anthony White pointed out in the video package on Monday night before the performance. “Before AGT, we were just a local community choir in Detroit for 20 years. We would take rudimentary talent, pour some water on it, and grow it. We take kids who are rough around the edges and show them who they are—diamonds in the rough.” When the choir returned home after their first appearance on AGT, the city and business owners came together and awarded the group a $1 million endowment, and they also had the opportunity to appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and open for Megan Thee Stallion. Now, they’re back for their second shot at the title, even knowing that the competition is much stiffer this time around as everyone competing is either a winner or a finalist from Got Talent shows in the U.S. and around the world. They may have been a little nervous, but that didn’t stop the choir from taking the stage and performing a rousing and enthusiastic version of Imagine Dragons’ “Thunder.” “Can I be honest with you?” Simon Cowell said after watching. “I am actually speechless. I am seriously speechless. This was absolute magic, absolute creative magic. I am absolutely quite emotional.” Howie Mandell picked up the ball and said, “That radiated more than just music and song and dance. It was emotion and passion. It was exciting and thrilling and exactly what AGT: All-Stars needs to be. This is a competition of champions and that was a championship performance.” Heidi Klum added, “Some choirs can be a little bit on the snoozy side, but not you guys. You just mashed that song up and spit out a whole new thing, which was incredible." By then Simon was able to speak again, and he complimented the choir director, saying, “We all need a Mr. White in our lives.” Then Terry, whose turn it was to pick the Golden Buzzer for the night and who was born in Flint, Mich., interrupted saying, “Yo! Yo! Yo! We don’t need to go to the Superfans’ vote on this one. Mr. White, you have changed the lives of thousands of young men and women. For what you have done for the city of Detroit, for what you have done in this world, one Golden Buzzer is not enough” And so saying, he gave the Detroit Youth Choir their second Golden Buzzer and its ticket to the finale. America’s Got Talent: All Stars airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC Next, Everything We Know About the America’s Got Talent: All-Stars Spinoff
