The newest America’s Got Talent judge, former Modern Family star Sofia Vergara , used her Golden Buzzer to send one singer all the way to the live shows during the second auditions episode of Season 15. Roberta Battaglia, a 10-year-old singer, received the pass from the actress after a stunning rendition of a popular film song.
Roberta performed a version of the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper hit “Shallow” from the seven-time Oscar-nominated film A Star is Born . The song itself won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHscI4TK55s
Although Roberta initially appeared nervous as she stood alone on the AGT stage, once she opened her mouth and began to sing, judges Sofia, Simon Cowell , Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel were stunned at her transformation. The young girl appeared to change before their eyes from a scared child into a confident young woman. During Roberta’s performance, Simon told Sofia to close her eyes to listen to better hear the young woman, as he taught her to base her opinion on the talent of the person alone.
At the conclusion of Roberta’s performance, both the judges and audience gave Roberta a standing ovation. The judges all appeared in agreement that Roberta had a great talent. Roberta told the judges that she had experienced being bullied while in school. In response, Simon stated to the young girl to ignore those people who tried to make her sad because she was now “happy and successful,” something he claimed bullies hate.
The former Modern Family star then stood up and said out loud, “Let’s see who is going to bully you after this!”
She slammed her hand down on the Golden Buzzer and showered the 10-year-old in confetti. Roberta joined Terry Crews’s Golden Buzzer pick from the first episode of the season, homeless singers Voice of Our City Choir, both of whom will perform during the series’ live shows. These are expected to air sometime in August.
In a videotaped package prior to Roberta’s performance, she was seen with her mother as she spoke to Terry Crews about her passion for performing. She noted that she believed her singing talent was inherited from her father, whom the preteen spoke to via video chat both before and after her performance. Roberta realized that she was young but claimed she “had big dreams” prior to taking the stage. She revealed that she watched America’s Got Talent from the time she was a young child and it was her dream to perform on the stage.