Entertainment
Man takes massive risk for semi-final audition, brings house down with original song
What do you think about this performance?
Cedric Jackson
09.18.17

Recently, fans of “America’s Got Talent” got a real treat from singer Johnny Manuel.

The handsome 32-year-old sang his original song entitled “Blind Faith.” Throughout the song, Manuel delivered a strong and engaging performance, visibly connecting with his audience. He belted out some notes that were difficult to hit, and the crowd seemed to love it. An intense background set the stage as he delivered a truly stunning performance.

However, not all of the judges had the same reaction as the audience.

Howie Mandel, though he commented that Johnny Manuel was among some of the best singers he’s ever seen, also said he thought the singer would have done better with a classic song. Maybe he thought that would make it easier for the audience to connect with Manuel, but as someone who wants to be able to write and perform his own songs, it might be for the best that he took this kind of chance.

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Mel B said that though the performance was great, he gave it too much from the get-go. That reaction is understandable, as Manuel’s entire performance was pretty intense. Heidi Klum and Simon both applauded Johnny Manuel for singing an original song. Klum thought he yelled too much of the song, but Simon said that he was avoiding mediocrity, which is high praise from a judge like Simon.

Unfortunately, Johnny Manuel did not have enough votes to make it to the next round. However, as a semifinalist in the competition, he’s gotten far enough that he can still make a big splash in the music industry. With such an incredible voice and the talent to write his own original songs, it really seems like Johnny Manuel is going somewhere.

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After all, this isn’t the singer’s first taste of stardom. Born in Flint, Michigan, Manuel was always fascinated with the radio, singing along to songs from his favorite artists. Soon, after listening to enough music, the young boy would try to imitate everything he heard coming out of the radio. What started out as a cute little kid quirk quickly became a budding talent.

Then, he covered a Run D.M.C. song, and everything changed.

He was signed by a record label under the name Lil’ Johnny and began recording music. He loved working with famous artists, going on tour, and exploring the creative process while recording in the studio. However, after a few years, he was dropped from the record label.

Johnny got depressed after that point and began to work jobs in retail as well as other more commonplace jobs for several years. At age 32, he auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” and went so far as to become a semifinalist in the competition. Obviously, he has a talent for singing and performing and will likely continue to pursue his passion. While it’s obviously great to win the competition, just getting on the show and getting so much recognition is also very valuable to a musician’s career.

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Johnny has a lot of fans, so there were plenty of people who were pretty disappointed by the fact that he didn’t make it further in the competition.

It’s hard to watch your favorite contender go so far in a competition only to have him not get enough votes at the last minute. However, fans of Johnny Manuel can be confident that he’ll be back on the scene in no time. In the meantime, you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

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