“For us, it’s not easy to dream. So, I didn’t like to smile.”
Poverty has a way of squashing even the smallest of dreams, wiping the happiest of grins off hopeful faces, and making every single problem seem insurmountable.
Yet, for those who dare to dream big on America’s Got Talent, nothing is out of reach.
It’s not often that we see Simon Cowell smile with excitement before an audition has even gotten underway.
On a recent airing of AGT, Julianne Hough asked who was up next, and the sometimes surly Brit was already wearing his happy face when he quipped:
“I’m going to guess choirs. Yeah, love choirs.”
Simon adores watching doggy tricks and has a not-so-secret penchant for acts that include lovely-looking ladies, but it turns out that the talent judge also has a soft spot for ensemble choirs, too.
Especially the ones that come with incredibly inspiring backstories!
With Simon’s vote practically already cast, it looked like the Ndlovu Youth Choir pretty much had it made.
However, it wasn’t always that way for them. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that these young men and women carried around a profound heaviness in their hearts, and it’s easy to see why.
Many of them were born into tiny, impoverished communities in the Limpopo province of South Africa, where they inherited the problems of previous generations that lived there.
It wasn’t exactly a promising start to a bright future.
In a taped segment of the show, the youth choir’s artistic director, Ralf Schmitt, somberly noted:
“When they join us, many of our kids have the weight of the world on their shoulders, and to them, their problems seem insurmountable.”
Coming together as a group gave them the confidence to believe in themselves.
It also provided them with a sense of belonging. With many of them growing up as orphans, that feeling of togetherness meant the world to them!
When given a chance to sing together and find their true voice, they were finally able to see that the challenges they faced were actually blessings that made them stronger.
“For us it’s not easy to dream. So, I didn’t like to smile. But, after joining the choir I found my voice and it brought back the smile on my face.”
The choir enjoyed international attention last year when they racked up millions of views with their cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.”
However, the emotionally-charged original piece they sang on AGT, “My African Dream,” is now garnering millions of new teary-eyed fans!
“Our dream is to let children around the world know, just because you’re born into poverty it doesn’t mean you are poverty.”
Ndlovu Youth Choir’s dream performance culminated in a standing ovation from all four judges, who spoke with total admiration at the magic and beauty they had just witnessed.
As for Simon, who has seen and heard it all, he’s actually been waiting for a moment like this for a long time.
“We’ve always been waiting for a choir like this, something we’ve never heard before. And your energy was literally bouncing off me right there. It was a great audition and you I’m going to remember.”
This group of inspiring young souls came from one of the poorest countries in the world, and in the process of lifting themselves up, they managed to land in one of the richest.
Some would say that’s a dream come true.
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