We feel your love and you moved me to do this.". "We are the storytellers of the generation, we are the griots of our time. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing. He returned for America's Got Talent: All-Stars where he finished in 2nd place in his Preliminary week. Gibson was only 8 months old. 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. The first contestant to perform poetry on AGT, Leake prefaced his spoken word piece by dedicating it to his sister. But instead of giving up, he went back to the drawing board, honed his craft, and tried again three years later stronger than ever. What an amazing tribute. "I am going to show the world what a spoken-word poet can do.". Thesixth day of auditions, which was taped in March, marked the first episode of Season 15 impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,before countrywide lockdown orders sidelinedentertainment production. On Tuesday, Vergara tweeted that the emotional performance was "a great way to end the night!!! After Shevon belted an original ballad that she wrote for Jamie, Through the Good and Bad, and received unanimous yeses, she and Jamie (who is now her husband) elatedly revealed to Terry backstage that they will soon be new parents themselves. Following his victory just a year before, Leake returned to theAGTstage for a special guest performance during Season 16. His daughter, now 6 months old, is named Aaliyah, but her dad calls her "booboo". Never the same and never replicated. He was the winner of the competition, claiming the $1,000,000 prize, a new car, and the headlining of a show in Las Vegas. There's really no other place to find a mainstream home. Brandon blew away judge Howie Mandel in particular after he performed a piece about the loss of his sister. 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. Brandon Leake, the spoken-word poet who won the 2020 edition of America's Got Talent, has signed with UTA for all areas. 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. One of the best days of Brandon's life was when his sister, Danielle Marie Gibson, was born. Brandon's words were able to take a 64-year-old white guy and put him inside the heart and mind of an African-American mother whose just saying goodbye and fearing for her son's return," he said. But it was very beautiful for me. However, it was Howie who hit that Golden Buzzer the final Golden Buzzer of the season still left in play which automatically advanced Brandon to the live shows. I wish he could've been here," Vergara said. He received enough votes from the Superfans to enter the Top 3 of the night. Simon Cowell Is 'Very Happy' to Be Home 1 Week After Breaking His Back and Undergoing Surgery, Sofia Vergara Recalls Brother's Death During Powerful AGT Audition: 'I Can Feel Your Pain', AGT: Watch Archie Williams, Brandon Leake and More Season 15 Finalists Perform for $1M Prize. It's the only consistent part of his process. Table of Biography [ show] Early Life Brandon Leake was born on May 4, 1992. me getting the opportunity to have an outlet to share that type of pain. Howie Mandel gave him a standing ovation. : How did you discover spoken-word poetry? He will be part of the AGT Live residency and has a movie in the works. Creative writing most certainly was an escape. Judge Simon Cowell was skeptical at first, telling Brandon, I don't really understand poetry, but Brandon assured him, I'm a great intro for you. Leake was born into a single parent home with his mother, Carla on the south side of Stockton, California. Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara all gave him standing ovations. March 1, 2021 / 6:45 AM ET) on NBC. "My brother passed away the same year that your sister passed away," she said. On the night he'd be crowned the winner ofSeason 15, Leake performed a brief, light-hearted spoken word poem aboutAGT. "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. Leake, who is AGT's first-ever spoken word poet to compete, was among the standout performances of the night with his moving poem. Your season was filmed in 2020, in the thick of the global pandemic, so you didn't have a rapturous audience every week. I could finally say spoken-word has a place in this artistry world. And season 15 will conclude on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, when a winner will be crowned during the scheduled finale. Klum, Vergara and Mandel have all spoken to PEOPLE about Cowell's recovery. We are the ones who, as I said, capture history. A Poet Makes Golden Buzzer History On 'America's Got Talent' . Just be you, both on and off stage. Brandon Leake is an African-American spoken word poet, educator, and motivational speaker. You are so amazing. "Its amazing to me that on Season 15 its the first time were hearing spoken word," the comedian said. "Normally death don't really bother me, I'm from southside Stockton. All of the judges and Crews have now used their Golden Buzzers. That being said, if an audience had been present during this taping, its likely that all spectators would have been rendered stunned and pindrop-silent by Brandons words. Information NBC Insider is your all-access pass to some of your favorite NBC shows. And if you want your story told properly, you have to be yourself. Brandon's sister, who was four years younger than him, died at just 8 months old. Brandon's sister, who was four years younger than him, died at just 8 months old. Leake proceeded to vocalizethe painful processof mourning and accepting the death of his youngersister, Danielle Marie Gibson, who died in 1997, the same year Vergara lost her brother. Everybody else is pretty much irrelevant. I shouldn't be judging it. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more! 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." I'm just trying to hold onto you. Meet the Season 17 Finalists of 'America's Got Talent', 'AGT' Star Jane 'Nightbirde' Marczewski's Family Is 'Devastated by Her Passing': 'Unimaginable Loss', empty audience due to the show's health precautions. In a poem used as an open letter to his father, Leake reflected on their years-long strained relationship and road to healing. Brandon has performed in locations such as New Zealand, Mexico, Canada and 36 U.S. states for his Dark Side Tour, which promotes his first-ever published poetry chapbook and his album Deficiencies: A Tale From My Dark Side, which is rooted in transparency and healing. Brandon Leake is AGT royalty. After graduating, Leake joined a slam poetry team in Sacramento. SOFIA VERGARA: Yeah. Your poems are so raw. It's no exaggeration to say thatAmerica's Got Talentfans had never seen anyone like Brandon Leake. America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays (at 8 p.m. : The journey started one of two ways. With the help of four other spoken word poets, he delivered a piece about his hometown of Stockton, California. 1 summer show, returns in May with fresh new faces and familiar favorites, along with the excitement, thrills and feel-good performances that viewers have come to love each season. The judge's older brother, Rafael, was murdered in 1998 at age 27 during a kidnapping attempt in Colombia, and the memories came flooding back when Brandon Leake recited a poem about his sister's death, according to Fox News. Incredibly, in all of its 15 seasons, Americas Got Talent has never had a spoken-word contestant. Brandon Leake is the winner of the 15th season of America's Got Talent. Poet What did getting the Golden Buzzer during your audition feel like? Brandon Leake's Finals performance in Episode 1521 consisted of reciting a spoken word poem in the form of a prayer to his daughter Aaliyah. "It's amazing to me that on Season 15, it's the first time that we're hearing somebody of spoken word," Mandel said. After graduating, Leake joined a slam poetry team in Sacramento. Howie and Heidi are amazing, but he's the boss! Winner, Preliminaries Photo: Trae Patton/NBC. Now I get the chance to be on the forefront and show the world what spoken-word can do. Brandon Leake is the first spoken word poet act to receive the, In Brandon's Finals performance, it was mentioned that he auditioned for, Brandon is Howie Mandel's second (third if counting. Brandon Leake's ode to his sister turned an audience-free "AGT" into a night to remember. - America's Got Talent 2020https://youtu.be/SaPXcg7lLfgAmerica's Got Talenthttp://www.youtube.com/user/americasgottalent#AGT #AmericasGotTalent There were probably a lot of people who doubted that a poet could win, but Brandon is the real deal. 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 just want to compliment you on what you just did, because it was extraordinary, said a quieted Simon. You deserve the world and more. The then 4-year-old adored being a big brother and couldn't wait for all the fun they'd have together. Sex Leake, a former high school English teacher from Stockton, California, had welcomed his first child 14 days prior to shooting the tryout. 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