Deaf Singer Gets Golden Buzzer From Simon Cowell on ‘America’s Got Talent’

Nick Paschal
·Supervising Producer, Yahoo Entertainment

Mandy Harvey wowed the America’s Got Talent judges with her voice, which was especially impressive considering she is deaf. Mandy has a connective tissue disorder, and she started going deaf when she was 18. But she refused to give up on her dream, and taught herself to sing again with visual tuners and by feeling the music instead of hearing it. Mandy said, “I left music after I lost my hearing, and then figured out how to get back into singing with muscle memory, using visual tuners, and trusting my pitch.” Howie Mandel pointed out that her shoes were off, and Mandy added, “Yeah, I’m feeling the tempo — the beat — through the floor.”

Mandy Gives It Her Best “Try”

The 29-year-old musician sang a song called “Try,” which she wrote as an inspirational song for herself. Mandy told Simon Cowell, “After I lost my hearing, I gave up. But I want to do more with my life than just give up.” So with that, Mandy started singing, and immediately got everyone’s attention. And while Mandy is able to sing by feeling the music, by the time she finished her performance, everyone in the room was feeling her music.

Simon didn’t even let the other judges speak before he said, “Mandy, I don’t think you’re gonna need a translator for this.” Simon then hit the Golden Buzzer, sending Mandy through to the live shows.

America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of America’s Got Talent for free on Yahoo View.

Watch this adorable ventriloquist get the first Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent:

Read more from Yahoo TV:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.