America’s Got Talent season 19 kicked off with a bang with a few contestants already standing out as potential finalists. Among them was Solange Kardinaly, a magician from Portugal, who left the judges and audience in awe with her quick-change act.
Solange stunned everyone by seamlessly switching outfits multiple times in just seconds. “That was magic,” exclaimed judge Simon Cowell , as per The US Sun .
Wow, That was an incredible performance by solange kardinaly, She is an amazing magician, And performance is amazing this week #AGT .
— Nicholas_Sye (@NicholasSye1) June 12, 2024
Heidi Klum , amidst the applause from the studio audience, remarked, “You’re very, very good. And your quick change was beautiful. I mean, it was amazing.” Howie Mandel echoed, “You did it very uniquely. The mixture of magic and your performance made it so much more special. You’re the best quick-change artist we have ever seen…you really are.” Instagram users reacted enthusiastically to Kardinaly performance.
@hellllyeaahhh commented, “You all say I know what she did or I can explain BUT it’s not about that it’s about she did it amazingly and smoooothhhh.” @forever_s_young remarked, “So smooth sleek flawless, Graceful stylish.” @brittany.lolling.9 chimed in, “A fashion designer and a magician. So cool. A girl favorite.”
Solange Kardinaly is one of the best magicians. #AGT
— Paul Onufrey (@onufreyonboard) June 12, 2024
Sofia Vergara , clearly impressed, commented, “You look beautiful and professional. It was entertaining. I loved it tonight. I want to see more.” Cowell, known for his discerning critiques, concurred with Mandel’s assessment.
“Sometimes when we have these acts, you have a lady who does the quick-change and then normally an annoying guy who does nothing. And the fact that you were on your own and did it, for me, made it just so much better. It was so slick and you’ve got two minutes to cram that in? That was amazing!”
Another contestant who made a significant impact was British biker, Andrei Burton, who kicked off the night with an act that initially seemed to rely on the shock value of possibly damaging Cowell’s car. It turned out that Burton was serious.
He began his performance outside and then brought his bike indoors, riding with energy and enthusiasm. Both the judges and the audience loved his act.
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Dee Dee Simon, a nurse at San Quentin State Prison, also left the judges speechless with her incredible voice. The Oakland, California resident gave a heartfelt performance, even kicking off her shoes and falling to her knees. The audience gave her a standing ovation before she finished.
Dee Dee shared a memorable story with the judges. She once caused a prison riot by singing, after having just started her job as a nurse, 19 years ago. “After I sang a song, a riot broke out. Then I had to triage everybody,” she said.
She waited years before singing to the prisoners again. When she did two months ago, it was peaceful. Dee Dee performed Jennifer Hudson’s challenging song And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going , moving the audience to tears, as per NBC .