Leake was born into a single parent home with his mother, Carla on the south side of Stockton, California. You give the same effort of performance and excellence for 10 people as you do for 10,000. 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. And season 15 will conclude on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, when a winner will be crowned during the scheduled finale. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing.". Just be you, both on and off stage. If you don't understand it and you're not moved by it, then you're not a human being. Brandon Leake is an award-winning spoken word poet, artistic educator and motivational speaker from . The poem touched every single Judge, but . 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. We have to understand each other and be compassionate, have empathy for each other. He returned for America's Got Talent: All-Stars where he finished in 2nd place in his Preliminary week. You don't have to be this hardened individual who steps in there and does this crazy competitive work. "Its amazing to me that on Season 15 its the first time were hearing spoken word," the comedian said. Leake tells his most personal stories to connect with others and inspire people far and wide. NBC Insider is your all-access pass to some of your favorite NBC shows. It's amazing to me that on Season 15, its the first time that we're hearing somebody of spoken word. No music, no nothing, just a raw heart beating in front of us. Since then, Leake has worked as an English teacher at Edison High School and an academic advisor at Delta College in Stockton. "And as I stared at that screen, I couldn't help but think I was looking at a mirror image of myself being choked out for merely existing or for daring to be more than three-fifths of what them folk thought them to be. ", "Lines like that are what build the bridge between me and another person, and who would have thought that poetry or spoken word could do that," said Leake. Now, Leake is a poetry maven who tours the country. After not making it in 2017, I said, Hey, I really want to try this out and get better at it. So I toured, I did a lot of work. - 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. Brandon Leake, 27, a community college counselor in Stockton, California, wowed the judges with an emotional performance of a poem that paid tribute to his late sister, who died as a baby. Brandon Leakeisa poet from Season 15 of America's Got Talent. Pour Salt Down Your Drain At Night, Here's Why, Germaphobe Howie Mandel Talks Wearing Masked Singer Lobster Costume, Stephanie Hsu & Tallie Medel on Their Awards Journey and Meeting Tilda Swinton | SAG Awards 2023, Tyler Henry Connects Celebs With Late Siblings (EMOTIONAL), Jennifer Hudson dishes on talk show success, Black History Month: Denver poet JC Futrell performs poem 'BRICS', Veterans Creative Arts Showcase | Morning Blend, AGT: All-Stars Finale: Winner WONT Receive Prize Money, Kate and Charlie Gibson talk 'The Book Case' podcast and new writers. He finished ahead of Josh Blue but behind Kodi Lee, eliminating him from the competition. But when 27-year-old Stockton poet, educator, and new father Brandon Leake performed in the final slot of this weeks AGT episode, he made up for that. UTA Signs 'America's Got Talent' Winner Brandon Leake. When "America's Got Talent" contestant Brandon Leake took the stage to render the first-ever poetry audition on the show, the judges did not know they were in for a stunning and tearjerking performance. Brandon's sister, who was four years younger than him, died at just 8 months old. While you're trying to score tickets, take a walk down memory lane and catch every single one of Leake'sAGTperformances. Mother was like a zombie. For myself, it was like, this is my time. Its like singing and talking and just being a human a cappella. She was going to watch this live on TV tonight.". Brandon Leake's Semifinals performance in Episode 1517 consisted of reciting a spoken word poem in the form of letters to his dad about how he missed out on many of Brandon's major life moments, eventually making peace. Do you have any advice for the Acts competing on AGT Season 17? On the following Wednesdays, (which will feature celebrity musical acts including BTS on Sept. 16), the finalists will be announced. This is a very difficult thing for me to judge. But, there is something so different about Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and the countless others," Leake said. 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. Table of Biography [ show] Early Life Brandon Leake was born on May 4, 1992. We are the ones who, as I said, capture history. Singers can go to The Voice, as well as America's Got Talent. Surprising Cause Of Death Revealed For 37-Year-Old ABC News Producer. The Stockton, California, native spoke about his mother's "greatest fear" about her son living in America as a Black man and honored the lives of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake. Brandon's sister, who was four years younger than him, died at just 8 months old. Information We feel your love and you moved me to do this.". God blessed me with really long arms, so I just put my phone outside the water and type. We feel your pain. On the night he'd be crowned the winner ofSeason 15, Leake performed a brief, light-hearted spoken word poem aboutAGT. You could either say it started in middle school with girls who were cute, and that's how I first started writing poetry. Brandon set up the group whilst at university, and began hosting open mic nights to raise money for kids suffering from domestic abuse to go to summer camps. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more! He went on to study at Simpson University in Redding, where as well as writing poetry, he played basketball onSimpson'sNCAA Division II team. She's here with me now," Leake said, leading Mandel to ask if shewas backstage. A good number of us really cheered each other on, even when we were competitiveIf you do great, that doesn't mean I can't, Do you have any advice for the Acts competing on, this roundup of his best moments from the show. This is a very difficult thing to me to judge. Go behind-the-scenes, stay on top of breaking news, hang with the stars, and much more. The Modern Family actress then said that Leake's poem reminded her of her late brother. Never give up on this dream. I could tell my producer, it wasn't the first time he had heard spoken-word. SPOKEN word performer and civil rights activist Brandon Leake is the winner of Americas Got Talent season 15. Sofia Vergara was emotionally moved by this poetic America's Got Talent audition. For his audition, Leake presented an emotional piece about mourning his late sister. I wanted to be with them, so I got a big house [in Miami, Florida] and we all lived together. Brandon Leake is the winner of the 15th season of America's Got Talent. Just be you. (He even earned a Golden Buzzer.) He continued: "There is something very, very special about you. But instead of giving up, he went back to the drawing board, honed his craft, and tried again three years later stronger than ever. It's my opportunity. Leake says his overall goal is to spread a message that creates a more loving and gracious society. But it was his first time, I believe, being moved by it the way I do it. I know what this is. "There was something more raw in the way it's like singing and talking and just being a human a cappella. Watch thousands of hours of hit movies and shows, plus daily news, sports, and pop culture updates. But if this pain and these memories are all that I got left of you, I won't never regret these scars. The fourth and final slate of contestants performed in the live quarterfinal rounds of America's Got Talent. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing. That's the cost of love: caring for someone's so much that you can't imagine living life without them, staring at a grave. There's something very, very special about you. The reason I became so much better was actually 'cause I failed making the show the first time. STOCKTON (CBS13) Putting yourself out there may not be easy, but sending a message that builds unity may be worth it. - (SINGING) Praise be the day. Your season was filmed in 2020, in the thick of the global pandemic, so you didn't have a rapturous audience every week. Tune in next week, when the Americas Got Talent auditions once again, without a live audience conclude. There was really nowhere else to go. Brandon is also the founder and CEO of Called to Move, an organization that aids youth in self-actualizing and personally developing through the art of poetry. Leake, who is AGT 's first-ever spoken word poet to compete, was among the standout performances of the night with his moving poem. Now, Leake is a poetry maven who tours the country. But while other auditioners of the episode, notably the magicians and comedians, suffered from not being able to play to a roaring crowd, the intimacy of this unique situation actually made Brandons performance all the more intense and impactful. Spoiler alert! KYLIE MAR: And in an "AGT" first, no live audience was present due to coronavirus concerns. Congratulations to Brandon Leake for WINNING Season 15 of America's Got Talent! Male 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. Dancers have World of Dance and all these other places. Don't go out there trying to be somebody else. "I think just aside whatever this contest is and this talent show is, it's probably the clearest vision of what is going on today than what I have ever heard. Below, NBC Insider chats with Leake about his experience on AGT, where he writes his best poems, and more. This was a long time coming. (Kelly Clarkson and Kenan Thompson previously served as season 15 guest judges during the live shows. ", Klum also said Cowell has been "healing pretty fast," adding, "I think he's doing amazingly.". Brandon Leake, a 27-year-old college counselor from Stockton, California, shocked the judges with . His words captured the judges and drew a standing ovation. He's a young man from Stockton who's transcending boundaries and breaking down barriers for generations to come. Read on. Brandon's daughter was born just 14 days before hisAGTaudition. Brandon had explained that he had a fourteen-day old daughter and a sister whom he loved very much. Brandon Leake POWERFUL Poetry About Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake Brandon Leake Will Make You EMOTIONAL With His Spoken Word - America's Got Talent 2020, Brandon Leake Delivers Emotional Spoken Word to His Daughter - America's Got Talent 2020, Brandon Leake Performs a Moving Spoken Word Piece About AGT - America's Got Talent 2020, THE WINNER IS - America's Got Talent 2020, Brandon Leake's EMOTIONAL Performance Receives a Standing Ovation - AGT- All-Stars 2023. With the show open to acts of all ages, \"America's Got Talent\" continues to celebrate the variety format like no other show on television. What did getting the Golden Buzzer during your audition feel like? She fell asleep and just didn't wake up," Leake told CBS13. Most of us don't often walk in other people's shoes. America's Got Talent Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Season 15 Brandon is the first poet to pass the audition round. Winner, Preliminaries But I was left here to manufacture wings out of tears and broken dreams, Brandon rapped. 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. "I did all of this just to give you that. After the final five acts are determined for the live semifinals, next week will be the first of two rounds, with 10 acts competing each Tuesday (Sept. 8 and Sept. 15) at the Universal Studios Hollywood lots. Brandon Leake is a poet from Season 15 of America's Got Talent. I didn't know her, but she was a beautiful young Black girl, probably around 15 or 16. I would say the writing was always personal, but performing was not always personal. Seasons Howie Mandel gave him a standing ovation. Then, eight months later, Danielle passed away. "I can feel your pain. Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel were back again without a guest judge or Simon Cowell, who broke his back on Aug. 8 at his Malibu, California, home when he fell off an electric bike. Last week on'AGT': Sofia Vergara falls in her haste to get away from shocking eye-bulging rapper. 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. Howie and Heidi are amazing, but he's the boss! If people missed this show tonight, they need to watch this on YouTube and need to share it. With the help of four other spoken word poets, he delivered a piece about his hometown of Stockton, California. Trying to be somebody else them, so I Got left of,. 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