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Lavender Darcangelo Explains How Her Boyfriend Inspired Her Live Show Performance
The Golden Buzzer AGT Act wowed the Judges, and America, with her stunning vocals singing "I Wanna Know What Love Is."
When Lavender Darcangelo first auditioned for America's Got Talent 18 with Fame's "Out Here On My Own", she touched the Judges and fans with her stunning vocals and moving adoption story. She particularly struck a chord with Heidi Klum, who awarded her with the model's Golden Buzzer of the season.
And now, with the Live Show behind her, the blind and autistic vocalist officially won over the heart's of America after she was voted into one of two spots in the Final for this week alongside Adrian Stoica & Hurricane.
"Growing up people often put me in a box because of my disability," Darcangelo said during the episode. "The Golden Buzzer made me feel like the world is seeing me now, and it was just so emotional for me."
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What song did Lavender Darcangelo sing during her Live Show performance?
This time around, the 27-year-old conquered Foreigner's 1984 hit "I Wanna Know What Love Is", hitting unbelievably stunning notes in the process.
"I chose this because being on America's Got Talent, I gained a whole lot of confidence," she said. "This song definitely challenges my vocal range. I know it's a tough song, but because my heart was telling me to do it I start with the heart and the vocal choices will follow. I'm all about breaking boundaries. That's when impossible becomes I'm possible."
Darcangelo later opened up to People about another romantic reason she chose the ballad: It was dedicated to her boyfriend, Brian.
"Before he came into my life, I knew that people loved me, but I didn't know how to trust it," she told the magazine. "Because I had a lot of trust issues growing up, and I often felt unloved. People wanted to include me in things, but because of my disabilities, they didn't know how to include me. And my boyfriend is one of very few people who I felt has done it right."
"And when someone does it right, then you start to wonder what it's like to dive into the ocean, into the scary ocean of what love is all about," she continued. "Before, I thought love was this scary thing that I didn't want to swim in."
The Judges react to Lavender Darcangelo's Live Show performance
With just minutes left in the live broadcast, only Klum and Simon Cowell had time to make their remarks, but they made every second count.
Heidi Klum: "Lavender, I am so proud of you. I love you Lavender. I feel you when you are singing. I hope everyone in this room felt you. I hope everyone at home felt you. I hope that everyone is going to vote for you so that we can go to the next round together."
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Simon Cowell: "It's just the most amazing feeling Terry when a contestant that everyone loves nails it, and you can feel it behind you. And I gotta tell you, second half of that song, the way that you sang it, the whole song the lyric took on a completely different meaning for me, and that was beautiful.
What's next for Lavender Darcangelo
When asked by NBC Insider what she'd do the $1 million grand prize in the event of her win during the September 26 and 27 finale, the singer detailed a well-thought out four point plan. It included creating a school "based off of child curiosity" that she would have thrived at as a kid, make more time for dates with Brian, and even building an all ages playground. Her relatable explanation? "For adult sized backsides because I love playgrounds, but my bum is too big for a swing."
Lastly, she'd take advantage of the freedom to support herself and help her loved ones.
"I feel like for what my family has done to me, especially my two dads, I feel like I don't do anything for them," she explained. "Because when they do a party, I wish I could go to the store and drive and go grab stuff to make appetizers. But because of my disability, I can't necessarily do those things. And so I feel like for what they have given me, I don't do anything for them. And so, I think that I think that I would be able to do it financially."
I want to show the world that there's a huge, infinite thing when it comes to people on the autism spectrum.”
Darcangelo also teased an upcoming album titled Mosaic, which she hopes would break boundaries for its inclusion of a diverse selection of genres including country, pop, jazz, and rock.
"I'm autistic, but lots of people can't really tell by looking at me and talking to me, and I want to show the world that there's a huge, infinite thing when it comes to people on the autism spectrum," she said. "Some people with autism, they are not able to talk, some can talk, but they have a hard time tying shoes even though they are really, really good at like plumbing. So, there's a huge diversity in the autism world and you know, when you've met one person with autism, you've only met on. So the album represents all that diversity."
And as for what to expect during her Finale performance, Darcangelo is still brainstorming.
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"If there is a next time, I do want to sing a song... to just show the world all the love I have for them, and you know, to show the world that I was once lost and now I'm found, whatever that song is. I don't know what that song will be."
With reporting by Becca van Sambeck.
