"Love is the most vulnerable thing one will ever have," Leake recited, "And you must learn to hold onto it loosely so when it leaves it won't exit so painfully.". The Stockton, California, native spoke about his mother's . However, that didn't seem to affect the emotion in the room. "And here we are.". "I've been ground-bound because she left. Then, eight months later, Danielle passed away. As well as his work as a performer, Brandon is also the founder of a youth organization Called to Move, which aids the development of young people through the art of poetry. For more Brandon Leake AGT content, check out this roundup of his best moments from the show. : How did you discover spoken-word poetry? Since then, Leake has worked as an English teacher at Edison High School and an academic advisor at Delta College in Stockton. All of the judges and Crews have now used their Golden Buzzers. Keep reading for 10 things you didn't know about America's Got Talent season 15 winner . ET) on NBC. No music, no nothing. What I more so thought about was, I felt vindicated from all the people who said spoken-word could never be a mainstream art form. Brandon Leake, the spoken-word poet who won the 2020 edition of America's Got Talent, has signed with UTA for all areas. Were you the first poet that producers had seen? Brandon blew away judge Howie Mandel in particular after he performed a piece about the loss of his sister. Leake, a former high school English teacher from Stockton, California, had welcomed his first child 14 days prior to shooting the tryout. Sex Exclusive: How 'AGT' is reshaping season during COVID-19, from no audiences to outdoor Judge Cuts. I know what this is. ET) on NBC. Brandon Leake is AGT royalty. By McKenzie. WINNER Brandon Leake All Performances on America's Got Talent!Audition - 0:05Quarterfinals - 5:03Semifinals - 10:01Finale - 14:59#AGT #AmericasGotTalent #Tal. His poems featuring themes of grief, parenthood, race, and more were raw and unfiltered as Leake took the stage to open up about his life every week. Public File for KMAX-TV / Good Day Sacramento. TERRY CREWS: You have received the Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel. Table of Biography [ show] Early Life Brandon Leake was born on May 4, 1992. Never the same and never replicated. He will be part of the AGT Live residency and has a movie in the works. I know what it is to have somebodytaken from you without you knowing, but it was very beautiful for me.". Tonight's poem is actually an ode to my sister, Brandon explained. Mandel called the performance "raw," adding that "we feel your pain, we feel your love, and you moved me to do this" before reaching for the Golden Buzzer, raining confetti onto Leake and sending him straight to the live shows. His tear-jerking tale of family tragedy not only earned judge Howie Mandels Golden Buzzer, but host Terry Crews told him, Youre about to put spoken word on the map like its never been before. Brandon, whose daughter was born just 14 days before his AGT audition, explained that he had turned to poetry years ago as a means of coping with his teen angst: I let all that frustration out. Klum, Vergara and Mandel have all spoken to PEOPLE about Cowell's recovery. Tune in next week, when the Americas Got Talent auditions once again, without a live audience conclude. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. I bring more about life-experience things that everyday people go through. And once Simon heard Brandon speak, he understood where Brandons childhood anger was coming from and, like Howie, he was totally convinced. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing. Moved by his performance, Howie Mandel pressed his Golden Buzzer, sending Brandon directly to the Quarterfinals. Brandon Leake's ode to his sister turned an audience-free "AGT" into a night to remember. On Tuesday, Vergara tweeted that the emotional performance was "a great way to end the night!!! It doesn't take away from me. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing. Although the audience was missing, the talent was not. Brandon posted on his Instagram after his AGT tribute to her: Love you booboo, I hope that gift will forever remain in your heart. Anna posted on her Instagram celebrating 3 years with her hubby. SOFIA VERGARA: Yeah. And even in this very direct competition, we were all still rooting for each other. This story contains details from the June 30 episode of "America's Got Talent.". The Season 15 winner is the competition's first (and only) spoken-word poetry champion. The NBC App is the best place to catch up on the most recent season of your favorite shows, watch live TV, and stream movies. A Poet Makes Golden Buzzer History On 'America's Got Talent' . To know that an art form that was so underground for so long got the public eye and took a win, that's more than any million-dollar prize could ever be.". I shouldn't be judging it. His new book of poems, Unraveling, came out in March 2022, showcasing his singular artistry yet again. I can feel your pain. I'm just trying to hold onto you. Later, Leake emotionally said, "My mother's greatest fear is that I won't return home breathing, blood pulsing through these veins enough to still be her Pookie. In his performance, Leake recalled the death of his sister in the late 90s, and his grief in the wake of her passing. America's Got Talent Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. What an amazing tribute. Seasons His new book of poems, Unraveling, came out in March 2022, showcasing his singular artistry yet again. During the Quarterfinals, the poet unveiled a timely original poem about the power of a Black mother's love and its tie to police brutality and racial injustice. For his audition, Leake presented an emotional piece about mourning his late sister. She died from an enlarged heart at only eight-months-old. Exclusive:How 'AGT' is reshaping season during COVID-19, from no audiences to outdoor Judge Cuts. Coming from a kid who was always concerned about looking cool, being cool, and doing cool stuff, it was really hard for me to relinquish that type of cool jacket off of myself, How communal the talent pool became. Go behind-the-scenes, stay on top of breaking news, hang with the stars, and much more. This pursuit led to Brandon leading workshops around the world with several curricula he developed himself. You don't have to be this hardened individual who steps in there and does this crazy competitive work. Gibson was only 8 months old. I just want to compliment you on what you just did because it was extraordinary. - America's Got Talent 2020 America's Got Talent 945K views 2 years ago Jayy Honors Her Parents Who Were Murdered In Front of Her. The poem touched every single Judge, but . Brandon's final performance was an emotional spoken word piece about his new-born daughter. me getting the opportunity to have an outlet to share that type of pain. Brandon Leake's Preliminary performance in Episode AS06 consisted of performing a spoken word poem about a homeless man he met on the street with a moral of not judging a book by its cover. She's here with me now," Leake said, leading Mandel to ask if shewas backstage. Tears also flowed for singer Shevon Nieto, a two-time Olympic runner who quit training for her third Summer Games after her boyfriend Jamie, also an Olympic athlete, was paralyzed from the chest down in a 2016 high-jumping accident. The fourth and final slate of contestants performed in the live quarterfinal rounds of America's Got Talent. ", "Words seem to move people and myself more than anything, he's got everything," Mandel, 64, said of his Golden Buzzer winner. There's something very, very special about you. Brandon Leake, a 27-year-old college counselor from Stockton, California, shocked the judges with . Leake, who is AGT's first-ever spoken word poet to compete, was among the standout performances of the night with his moving poem. Until Leake, 27, burst onto the scene in June with an emotional poem dedicated to his sister, who died as a baby, a spoken-word artist had never even appeared on the show, let alone captivate. Brandon Leake (born May 4, 1992) is a spoken word poet, educator and motivational speaker and the winner of the fifteenth season of America's Got Talent. Spoiler alert! Brandon Leake has made it clear he's willing to take that leap. Relive all of Brandon's full performances from the season. Get The America's. He received enough votes to enter the Top 5 instead of Archie Williams. Very much she's here with me now, Brandon answered. What made you decide to audition for America's Got Talent? Brandon Leake, a 27-year-old college counselor from Stockton, California, shocked the judges with an emotionally poetic spoken-word performance, a first on the "AGT" stage. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Praise be the kingdom. Or maybe it was simply due to they hue and in that moment I better understand my Black mother's greatest fear was every time I left her home, on the other side of her phone would no longer be her son, it would be America's most popular hashtag," the father of one said. There were probably a lot of people who doubted that a poet could win, but Brandon is the real deal. Spoken word is the name given to poetry written to be performed, and Leake is the first ever performer of this genre to be featured on AGT. 'America's Got Talent' Winners: Where Are They Now? Tearing up at the powerful performance, Vergara was speechless immediately after, as judges Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell gave a standing ovation, saying simply, "Wow." Leake was the first-ever spoken word poet to win America's Got Talent. He returned for America's Got Talent: All-Stars where he finished in 2nd place in his Preliminary week. "I believe that the biggest issue in this world, and I'm not being political, I'm being truthful, we're all in this together. Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara all gave him standing ovations. But, there is something so different about Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and the countless others," Leake said. "This is what an audition is actually like," Cowell said. KYLIE MAR: "America's Got Talent's" first-ever spoken-word contestant, 27-year-old Stockton poet, educator, and new father Brandon Leake, closed out Tuesday night's episode with a tear-jerking ode to his deceased younger sister. There was really nowhere else to go. We feel your pain. What surprised you most about your AGT experience? The NBC App is the best place to catch up on the most recent season of your favorite shows, watch live TV, and stream movies. BRANDON LEAKE: And I'm tired of playing God, because I got to come to terms with the fact that my sister ain't never coming back. "She's here with me now," he said of Danielle Marie Gibson, who died in 1997 at only 8 months old. Danielle's presence was definitely felt. Don't go out there chasing anybody else. We feel your love. Brandons audition wasnt Tuesdays only emotional moment. You just have to take a deep breath and keep on going if not for yourself, then for everybody you love.". "I'll say in the moment of doing it on the national stage, it wasn't immensely difficult due to the years of practice beforehand," said Leake. Brandon Leakeisa poet from Season 15 of America's Got Talent. Brandon Leake is an award-winning spoken word poet, artistic educator and motivational speaker from Stockton, California. For his audition, Leake presented an emotional piece about mourning his late sister. - America's Got Talent 2020https://youtu.be/SaPXcg7lLfgAmerica's Got Talenthttp://www.youtube.com/user/americasgottalent#AGT #AmericasGotTalent Never give up on this dream. I could tell my producer, it wasn't the first time he had heard spoken-word. Wildcats, singer Celina, Divas & Drummers of Compton, singer Kenadi Dodds, projection artists Lightwave Theatre Company and dancer Noah Epps. "From the person who lives in Wyoming in a farm town who can relate to a city kid from Stockton, California. The activist also liaises with Stockton Police Department, advocating for reform of their use-of-force policies to better the relationship between minorities and the police. America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays (8 p.m. "It's amazing to me that on Season 15, it's the first time that we're hearing somebody of spoken word," Mandel said. We feel your love and you moved me to do this.". S15NBC I wanted to be with them, so I got a big house [in Miami, Florida] and we all lived together. "I'm tired of playing God 'cause I gotta come to terms with the fact that my sister ain't never comin' back.". Opera Singer Shocks 'America's Got Talent' Judges with Cline Dion, Ariana Grande Impressions, 'America's Got Talent' 's Heidi Klum Says 'I Might Poop Myself' from Nerves About Season 17, Howie Mandel Calls His Golden Buzzer Act the 'Most Surprising, Jaw-Dropping Moment' He's Seen on 'AGT', 'AGT' Season 17 Starts Production: 'I Could Not Be Any More Excited,' Heidi Klum Says See First Look, 'AGT: Extreme' Crowns Season 1 Champion: 'He Deserves This!' The room breaking news, hang with the stars, and much more yet again word. Was definitely felt to take that leap more and change our default settings with Cookies settings poems, Unraveling came! We were all still rooting for each other, but it was n't the first poet that had. Of poems, Unraveling, came out in March 2022, showcasing singular! Were you the first poet that producers had seen going if not for,. That producers had seen `` from the show to do this. `` about mother... 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