22 September 2017

Angelica Hale Ends Her AGT Journey At 1st Runner-Up

AGT Finale
The Filipino-American sensation who took everyone at the edge of their seats with her powerful voice at this year's "America's Got Talent" finished second to singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne. Coming in third was Light Balance, followed by Mandy Harvey and Sara & Hero, in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

The ten-year-old Hale, who is from Atlanta, Georgia, turned emotional as she thanked everyone who supported her throughout her AGT journey

"No matter what happens, I am still a winner so thank you America for everything that you have done for me," she said.

For her final act, Hale earned a standing ovation from all four judges after she effortlessly belted out a cover of Clean Bandits' "Symphony," sneaking in a show-stopping whistle note near the end.

Dubbed as "a star in the future" by Simon Cowell, Hale first impressed the judges when she performed a powerful rendition of "Rise Up" as her audition piece.

However, AGT receive some criticism on the way it handled the Finale sequence.

"Felt badly for both girls; they looked traumatized up there on stage. So glad Angelica made it to the final two - she has an amazing voice!" wrote one woman on Twitter.

The stressful nature of the set-up got to be too much for Angelica at one point, as she broke down in tears even before learning that she had not won the top prize.

She could be seen trying to dry her face with both hands as tears streamed down her cheeks towards the end of the program.

That moment was then played up by the show's producers, who chose to zoom in on the weeping child.

There was some good news for Angelica however, as she announced soon after that she would be joining Darci for two dates in Las Vegas this November while she performed at Planet Hollywood.

The show's winner receives a US$ 1 million prize and their own show in Las Vegas.

Angelica, who wowed the judges with her musical performances throughout the contest, also got the chance to perform with Kelly Clarkson during the live finale. Many also expect her to sign several record deals in the future.

In the end, she seemed to be happy with the way things turned out, or at the very least to finally be off the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

"Couldn't be any happier! What an incredible journey & thx to @AGT & America for having me along until the very end!" she tweeted.

To relive the Finals performance of Angelica, check the video below: