The new season ofAmerica’s Got Talentis almost here!
“It was all a dream. Hopes of large stages, roaring audiences, spotlights, cameras, action. The aspiration to be the main attraction, no matter the talent, either conventional or downright absurd,” says Leake, who filmed his performance at The Coliseum in Los Angeles.
courtesy america’s got talent
“We’ve all fantasized of being immersed in the golden glow of when buzzers turn confetti, but the idea of the panel’s judging eye will make one question: Can I fill these shoes?” he continues.
“And the answer is a resounding yes! Because what lies on this stage is the opportunity to turn crowds into thunder, opportunity into destiny. To take your talent and show the worldAmerica’s Got Talent,” concludes Leake, who was the first-ever spoken word artist to compete on the NBC franchise and the first-ever poet to be crowned champion.
Last season, minutes after his victory, Leake, a father of one from Stockton, California,told PEOPLEthat bringing the art form of spoken word to the global stage was “more than any million-dollar prize could ever be,” adding, “More than just opening a door to come onAGTand be able to compete for a championship, this right here is genuinely a moment in which spoken word got a chance to be on the forefront of the American conscious. And we won.”
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Executive producer Cowell, 61, is back in his judges' chair after a mid-season hiatus in August 2020 due to hiselectric bike accident and hospitalization. Auditions for season 16 began in March in Pasadena, California, and were filmed with a limited audience in the venue due to COVID protocols.
“It’s so exciting to be back, honestly it’s so exciting to be anywhere. It’s so exciting just to be out of the house,” Mandel, 65, recentlytold PEOPLEabout filming the new season.
Season 16 ofAmerica’s Got Talentpremieres June 1 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
source: people.com
