Mandy Harvey is the singer on America’s Got Talent, Season 12 who got Simon Cowell to hit his golden buzzer. And she hasn’t disappointed him. Far from it. For her semi-finals performance, Mandy, who has been deaf since she was 18, sang one of her original songs, “Release Me,” and signed the lyrics as she sang. She is the first person to sign on America’s Got Talent.
After the powerful performance, Simon Cowell told her “I don’t want to judge you on your story but as an artist.” He went on to compliment her by saying listening to her reminds him of the first time he heard Adele sing. “I knew she was going to be a star.” That’s what Cowell thinks, he says, when he hears Mandy. Mandy may not be able to hear conventionally — but from the tears in her eyes as Cowell said that, you can bet that Mandy heard the Adele comparison loud and clear.
[Related: Why People Wave Hands at America’s Got Talent Deaf Singer Mandy Harvey]
