Big Benji (aka Benchavan Shale) is the 73-year-old Thai-American performer competing on America’s Got Talent, Season 12. She likes to sing cover songs including Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” and the late Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”
On her YouTube channel, Benji talks about her days designing jewelry and owning her own jewelry store, Shale’s Gems & Jewelry in Beverly Hills. She also talks about her two brushes with death. She once had a gun pointed at her head when two men tried to rob her in her jewelry store. She is also a breast cancer survivor. Benji says she asked God why he saved her twice, and she said, “He wants me to show the world my gift from God.” America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
