Kodi Lee had the No. 1 viral moment in ‘America’s Got Talent’ history. Now he’s trying to win this ‘AGT’ spinoff

Four years after he went viral for his “America’s Got Talent” audition — which got more than 430 million views on YouTube alone, the most in “AGT” history — Kodi Lee is back on the show competing in a new spinoff, “AGT: Fantasy League.”

This time around, he’s showing a different side of his artistry than viewers may be used to. But based on the reception he’s received on “Fantasy League,” it’s not putting him at any sort of disadvantage.

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Kodi Lee competes on ‘AGT: Fantasy League’

For “AGT: Fantasy League,” the show’s four judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel — each drafted their dream team that consists of 10 acts from “Got Talent” franchises over the years. Lee got picked for Cowell’s team, and made it to the semifinals after bringing something new to the “AGT” stage — his original song “Change.”

In a lyric video released on YouTube Jan. 1, Lee, who is blind and has autism, said the song “screams out for people to be better, move with kindness and love, fight hate and cyberbullying to make the world a better place for everyone.”

As he performed it in front of the “AGT” judges, the crowd erupted in cheers when he got to the chorus.

When Lee sang his last note, the crowd jumped to its feet — and Lee jumped right along with them in excitement, smiling wide as the applause washed over him.

Cowell called the song “absolutely beautiful,” and praised Lee for creating something that sounds “current and relevant.”

“You continually surprise us in a positive way,” he said. “And you performed it with such passion. It shows what a great, great, great artist and person you are.”

“Change” isn’t Lee’s first original song. The singer has previously released two singles, “Miracle” and “Hello World,” the Deseret News reported.

When does Kodi Lee compete on the ‘AGT: Fantasy League’ semifinals?

Twenty acts total will compete in the semifinals, which air Jan. 29 and Feb. 5. Lee returns to the “Fantasy League” stage on Jan. 29.

The top 10 acts will compete in the finale on Feb. 12, with a winner receiving a $250,000 grand prize on Feb. 19.

Who is Kodi Lee?

Lee won Season 14 of “AGT” and completed on “AGT: All Stars” last year, where he finished in the top 11. In the years since his viral audition, his mother, Tina Lee, has read thousands of comments from viewers thanking her son for being such an inspiration. She’s also come across some skeptical comments, with some viewers accusing him of “faking it.”

“I can understand why they thought that,” she previously told the Deseret News. “Because Kodi’s like two different people. When you talk to him and meet him, he can’t really form a complete sentence. He has a hard time. But you see him on stage, he’s a completely different person. And even for me as his mother, I’m like, ‘How is that possible?’”

Even after two-plus decades, she still has a hard time comprehending her son’s unique musical gift — Lee, who lived in Utah for seven years, is a “musical prodigious savant” and has an audio photographic memory that allows him to recall a song after just one listen.

But this much she knows: Music brings him indescribable joy. And watching him find success on “AGT” has brought her an equal amount of joy and reminds her how important it is to advocate for your children.

“When Kodi won … I felt like the whole world won because it opened up so many doors,” Tina Lee told the Deseret News last year. “Everything that we fought for and everything that we’ve done for him, it made me just so happy to know that he’s opening doors for all the other parents’ kids.

“See what they love to do, and give them the tools,” she added. “Stay strong and keep fighting for the tools they need, for what you know your child is good at and loves to do. You give them what they need, then they’re going to flourish with it.”