It was an emotional ending to Tuesday’s (July 11) episode of America’s Got Talent as Heidi Klum smashed her Golden Buzzer for singer Lavender Darcangelo, who, during her audition, revealed that she is blind and has autism.
After viewing a wide variety of auditions across the episode, the judges prepared themselves for the final act of the evening. Darcangelo took to the stage accompanied by her dad Wil, who she later revealed adopted her after she attended his after-school music program.
“I’ve been singing since I was three years old. I didn’t talk until I was four-and-a-half. I’m also autistic, as well as blind,” Darcangelo told the judges before revealing why she wanted to be on AGT. “Because I have a lot of dreams,” she said.
Darcangelo then wowed the judges with a breathtaking performance of Irene Cara’s “Out Here on My Own.” The singer received a standing ovation from the judges and the live audience.
“That was sensational,” Simon Cowell said. “Everything about that was just magical. You have such a talent. You have such an amazing personality. And, you know what, we make the show because we get to meet people like you. And I’m so happy that you’ve come on our show to share your talent with us. This is an audition I’ll never forget.”
Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara described the performance as “beautiful,” with Mandel saying, “When you sing, it is so exciting and gives everybody hope that maybe we can all achieve our dreams if we just go for it. And you are a dream come true, young lady.”
But Klum was most blown away, telling Darcangelo, “I feel like I just fell in love. This AGT journey is an amazing journey, and I would love to be your cheerleader and hold your hand all the way to the finish line. What do you say?”
“Let’s do this,” Klum screamed before slamming her hand on the Golden Buzzer, sending Darcangelo straight to the AGT live shows.
“I don’t know if this is a dream or if I’m really awake,” a teary-eyed Darcangelo said as confetti rained down from above.
Klum then invited Wil’s husband Jamie up onto the stage to celebrate the moment with his family.
Speaking to People about her audition, Darcangelo said, “I did not expect this to happen. Ever since I was a little kid, my biggest dream was to record CDs, to sing in front of huge audiences and inspiring people. When Heidi gave me the Golden Buzzer, it felt like a sort of deja vu, because things like this already happened in my mind when I was four years old.”
America’s Got Talent, Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
