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When 14-year-old Lai Noelle took the America’s Got Talent stage on Tuesday night for the premiere of Season 21 of the NBC talent competition, she admitted to being “excited” and “nervous.”
“I believe I was more ready this year,” she told judge Simon Cowell when he asked why she is auditioning this year. “I definitely got better in my performances and being more confident in myself.”
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And the proof was in her presentation. The Texas teenager knocked it out of the park with her performance of “Die On This Hill” by Sienna Spiro, so much so that Simon pushed his Golden Buzzer for her, which guarantees her a spot in the Live Shows.
“Lai, shall I tell you, honestly, what I think?” Simon said when she was finished. “Words aren’t necessary.”
And he reached over to hit the Golden Buzzer.
An excited Lai jumped around the stage as the gold confetti rained down on her.
“Thank you,” she said.
Related: America’s Got Talent Returns for Season 21—With a Brand-New Twist
“This girl is amazing,” Simon added as judge Sofia Vergara told judge Mel B that she had planned to press the Golden Buzzer.
Simon joined Lai on stage and said, “Spectacular,” and then joked with her parents, “I mean, seriously that wasn’t her singing, right?”
“I told him I’m going to give her the Golden Buzzer, and he stood up and did it,” Sofia reiterated. “He took her from me!”
And Mel B advised her, “Don’t tell him.”
Lai left the stage, figuring she was finished, but Simon called her back.
“I shut my eyes for a moment, and I was thinking, that’s not you singing,'” Simon said. “You’ve got such a gift, and now you take this opportunity. This is amazing. This is why we do this.”
Next, All 20 America’s Got Talent Winners and Their Amazing Talents
America’s Got Talent 2026 premieres Tuesday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
