Each judge and guest judge on America’s Got Talent has a special power they can use during the auditions. If they find themselves inspired or impressed by a particular act, they can choose to press the “golden buzzer.”
In doing so, the judge sends that act directly to the quarterfinals, which air live. This saves the act from the brutal eliminations that often take place in the pre-taped round following the auditions, the Judges Cuts.
One famous golden buzzer act was Darci Lynne Farmer, who went on to win her season of the show.
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But the judges and guest judges aren’t the only ones who can press the golden buzzer. The host of the show also has that power.
First-time AGT host Terry Crews used that power on a vocal group that inspired him so much, he was moved to tears. That group is the Detroit Youth Choir, which hails from a city just 60 miles from Crews’ home town of Flint, Michigan.
After the choir performed “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, an emotional Crews made his way on stage to praise them before he pressed the Golden Buzzer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqly9G2P9A
In doing so, Crews sent the choir straight to the quarterfinals. When they finally returned to the show, they chose another inspiring song to perform…Carrie Underwood and Ludacris’ “The Champion.”
“The Champion” was released in January 2018, and was used as a theme for that year’s Super Bowl as well as the Winter Olympics. Its powerful music video has racked up over 53 million views, and won the CMT Music Award for Female Video of the Year.
With such an uplifting message behind it, “The Champion” was the perfect song for the Detroit Youth Choir to perform.
As they did when they sang “Can’t Hold Us,” the choir also had a choreographed routine to accompany “The Champion.” And like “Can’t Hold Us,” “The Champion” has a rap in it, which the group performed.
But there are also plenty of “typical” choir moments to be found in the group’s performance as well. This unique blend of traditional and modern elements is just one of the many things that makes the Detroit Youth Choir stand out.
You can watch the group’s outstanding performance of “The Champion” below. No wonder why Crews pressed the golden buzzer for them!