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Music teacher got two standing ovations and a BGT Golden Buzzer with 'Natural Woman' cover

Goose. Bumps.

Britain's Got Talent/YouTube

Taryn Charles blew everyone away with her BGT audition.

For nearly two decades, people have been enjoying "Got Talent" competitions all over the world, inspired by the first "America's Got Talent" in 2006. And thanks to social media and YouTube, we can enjoy the most memorable auditions over and over again.

For instance, this one from Taryn Charles on the 2024 season of "Britain's Got Talent."

Charles is a music teacher who works with special needs kids. She even brought one of her students and her parent to be part of the audience during her audition. When the judges asked why she wanted to be on "Britain's Got Talent," Charles said, "I love to make people smile and I think my voice is alright."

Talk about an understatement.

As she stands waiting for the music to start, she shakes her hand by her side a few times, clearly getting some nerves out. But as soon as she starts to sing the first line, "Looking out on the morning rain, I used to feel so uninspired…" it's clear from her rich, raspy voice and easy stage presence that she's got something special.

And it only gets better from there. "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman" was written by singer-songwriter Carole King, then famously covered by Aretha Franklin, which is a hard act to follow. But Charles knocked it out of the park, blowing away the audience and judges alike. In fact, the performance earned her not one but two standing ovations and inspired judge Bruno Tonioli to smash the Golden Buzzer button before the judges even began to offer their feedback.

Watch:

What makes this performance especially memorable is how humble and unassuming Charles is before and after her knock-out performance. If you didn't watch til the very end, you may have missed her hilariously real, "I think I've wet myself," which only makes her even more endearing.

"WOW I was blown away with her angelic and powerful voice," wrote one commenter. "And yet she is so humble and has a beautiful soul. Plus, I have never in my life seen a double standing ovation, she so deserves a golden buzzer, wishing her the best success."

"This is how you do an audition, stunning tone to her voice.....if anyone deserves a chance it's this lady......BOOM!!" wrote another.

"This was so inspirational. Taryn I am in tears," shared another. "I know what it feels like to struggle with self-worth. You are a mirror to show me that that those people are not always right. You are phenomenally gifted and you have an amazing career as a professional singer ahead of you! Blessings!"

Talent competition judges often warn contestants about the challenge of singing songs done by big vocal divas, and we've seen singers attempt to sing the likes of Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey and fall flat. It's not easy to sing an iconic song most people associate with Aretha Franklin—the Queen of Soul and Rolling Stone's #1 singer of all time—and have any hope of impressing people. And yet, Taryn Charles managed to make the song her own and wow everyone in the process with her unique voice.

We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this humble music teacher as she makes her way through the "Britain's Got Talent" gauntlet. Heck of a way to kick it off.


This article originally appeared on 5.6.24

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13-year-old boy soprano stunned Britain's Got Talent with his angelic 'Pie Jesu' audition

Simon Cowell said, "It was like being in heaven."

Britain's Got Talent/YouTube

Malakai Boyah has the voice of an angel.

Sometimes a person opens their mouth to sing and what comes out is not at all what one would expect. We’ve seen it countless times on various “Got Talent” shows, but one unexpected young singer not only surprised the judges and audience of Britain’s Got Talent with his voice but even brought many of them to tears.

Malakai Bayoh is a 14-year-old from London. For his BGT audition earlier in 2023, when he was 13, he sang “Pie Jesu,” the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic in Latin that helped launch Charlotte Church’s career. "Pie Jesu" is a beautiful hymn that requires a soprano voice and includes some challenging vocal high jumps. When it’s done well, it has a mesmerizing, otherworldly quality to it.

Malakai did it well.

With the voice of an angel, he stunned everyone in the BGT studios as well as the folks watching at home. People in the live audience wiped away tears. The famously hard-to-impress Simon Cowell couldn’t stop smiling as Malakai sang, and at one point, it looked as if judge Bruno Tonioli (who is delightfully prone to dramatics, to be fair) might actually faint.

Watch:

People on YouTube haven't been able to stop raving about Malakai's performance.

"I would say this performance automatically entered into the top ten golden buzzers of all time," wrote one commenter.

"As a trained singer, watching agt and bgt usually distresses me, but my husband loves it. I was in the bedroom when i heard Malachi's voice pouring out if the living room like an angel. I"ve heard Pie Jesu performed many times, but this was not a performance, this was sound straight from the Creator to touch our souls. A message of love," shared another."

"I'm a trained singer, and a music teacher by profession, and sang this song as a young performer myself. I can say with absolute certainty this is the most beautifully I've ever heard this song sung. Not only is he a TRULY gifted singer, he sings with poise. With proper technique, proper breathing, proper everything. His vowels are PERFECTION, the smoothness with which he sings is truly impeccable. The amount of control it takes to sing slowly, that high.... this boy is truly a gift from God. Thank you for gracing our ears with your voice little one," shared another.

"I have seen it 10 times in a row and I have cried all 10 times…definitely a voice that comes from heaven," shared another.

As Simon Cowell said, "It was like being in heaven." It seems that everyone is in agreement.

Since his initial BGT audition, Boyah has continued to wow BGT judges and fans with his classical singing. You can watch his performance of "Caruso" here and enjoy his tuxedoed performance of "O Mio Babbino Caro" here. This kid in definitely going places.

In fact, Malakai has recorded his debut album, appropriately called "Golden." Watch out world, here comes Malakai.

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Barbershop quartet nails Britney Spears, NSYNC and more in modern ‘oldies’ medley

Both impressive and delightful.

Barbershop Harmony Society

Main Street brought the house down with their medley of modern-ish pop tunes

Few things send us reeling through a time warp like the musical stylings of a barbershop quartet. The perfect 4-part harmonies, the old-fashioned vests and straw hats and the turn-of-the-20th-century vibe evoke the sweet simplicity of a bygone era.

Barbershop groups often perform old standards, which is why one quartet's song about "the good old days" combined with a medley of late 90s' and early 00's pop songs hit a nerve. A group called Main Street performed "Today Will Be The Good Old Days Twenty Years from Now" at a barbershop quartet competition in 2015, and their renditions of Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, NSYNC, No Doubt and others' songs are as delightful as they are impressive.

The message in the first part of their performance is a hard pill to swallow, but those of us of a certain age know it to be true. The music from our youth is now considered "classic rock," but this medley makes that harsh reality we all have to face eventually a whole lot more fun.

Watch the performance shared by the Barbershop Harmony Society, which has over 7 million views on YouTube:

People loved not only hearing their pop favorites done in barbershop but also how well it was done.

"The average person doesn't get how incredibly complex this is just for ONE song," shared one commenter. "Even if you’ve been doing music professionally for years this is extremely complicated to do, and I hope it doesn't go unappreciated."

"That was a 15-second sustained note by the guy second from the left. That's incredibly impressive lung control. Whether or not you like barbershop music, you have to give these people credit for being amazing singers," shared another.

"You know the harmonies are tight when you don't know who sings which part," wrote another.

"There's something so gratifying about watching four people on a stage with no instruments just singing together and after 8 minutes still have your jaw dropped," wrote another. Indeed.

Even one of the judges from the competition weighed in:

"Watching this again and have watched it again many times. I happened to be one of the 15 judges on that panel at that event and am pretty certain I gave that the highest score I've ever given a quartet in contest. And, having seen it again many times I'm so thankful that is true and I probably should have given it a few more points. :) Well, actually, I didn't have many left I could possibly give anyway. So entertaining and well sung!"

And people who love barbershop are thrilled with how much attention the video has received.

"As a long time Barbershopper, it blows me away how well this performance did with the 'outside' crowd," wrote one person. "Barbershop as a genre and hobby is incredibly niche. The fact that this video has MILLIONS of views is crazy to me, and it’s awesome. I hope you all will check out more videos on the internet! Main Street, Vocal Spectrum, Crossroads, After Hours, etc. SO many amazing ensembles out there!!!"

Check out Barbershop Harmony Society on YouTube here for more barbershop music.

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Heavy metal singer reimagines 'Amazing Grace' in an epically powerful lyrical performance

Wow, what a voice.

Dan Vasc/YouTube

Dan Vasc sings "Amazing Grace" with a heavy metal twist.

"Amazing Grace" may just be the world's most beloved and recognizable hymn, with people from all faith traditions and walks of life finding meaning and comfort in its lyrics. It was written in 1772 by John Newton, a former slave trader, after a near-fatal shipwreck caused him to reevaluate his life, convert to Christianity and become a devoted abolitionist.

Newton's spiritual has been sung by countless people in countless renditions, but there's a good chance you've never seen it sung quite like this.

Heavy metal singer Dan Vasc recorded a solo rendition of "Amazing Grace" and shared it on his YouTube channel, where it has received over 7 million views. If you're thinking that the grungy, high-pitched scream-singing that marks metal music is a strange match for a traditional Christian hymn, you could be right. But give Vasc's version a listen before passing judgment because he might just change your mind.

It does help that Vasc begins the song in a more traditional way, with his rich tone and impressive vocal control making his classical singing training evident. Then it builds and goes up an octave. A harmonica comes out of nowhere. Then it builds more. Another octave. And finally, that scream-singing that you don't expect to work but totally does, making believers of even the most ardent metal music skeptics.

Oh, and for the record, Vasc arranged and recorded all of the instruments and vocals here himself.

Enjoy:

If you're sitting there picking your jaw up off the floor or reaching for the replay button, you aren't the only one. People in the comments—young and old, religious and non-religious, metal fans and non-fans—shared similar reactions:

"I'm a 62-yr-old Scot and have always felt this song was meant to be belted out, your version is how this should be sung. I bet yours rattled the doors of heaven, absolutely brilliant."

"The best most passionate version I have ever heard in my 60 years! I felt every powerful note into my soul! Incredible performance."

"This was sung at our wedding. Wow, this is such a powerful version. I love the history of the song. While not super religious, this moves me."

"This song was written to be sung EXACTLY like this! With honor, respect, and power! This isn’t just a quiet little song. Thank you for doing this song the way it was designed to be done. It’s beautiful! I’ve never heard it sung like this in my entire life. You have a beautiful voice!"

"I am a 64-year-old preacher's son. I grew up singing this song and have done so my entire life. You, sir, captured the true emotion John Newton intended for us to feel. The most beautiful rendition I have ever heard."

"I'm not a metal fan....but I am a music and musician fan. You have delivered a powerful and beautiful rendition of this song. Your control of your gift is fabulous. Timing, diction, expression and air control. As someone else mentioned....I've heard it done a thousand ways and sung it myself too many times. I felt it in my heart as you sang it here. A great and stirring performance. Thank You."

Find more of Dan Vasc's music on YouTube.

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