brandon leake agt sister cause of death

Brandon Leake is an African-American spoken word poet, educator, and motivational speaker. Brandon Leake (born May 4, 1992) is a spoken word poet, educator and motivational speaker and the winner of the fifteenth season of America's Got Talent. Leake, a former high school English teacher from Stockton, California, had welcomed his first child 14 days prior to shooting the tryout. A good number of us really cheered each other on, even when we were competitiveIf you do great, that doesn't mean I can't, Do you have any advice for the Acts competing on, this roundup of his best moments from the show. Creator and Executive Producer Simon Cowell is back at the star-studded judges' table with fan-favorite comedian Howie Mandel. Age (at audition) On the night he'd be crowned the winner ofSeason 15, Leake performed a brief, light-hearted spoken word poem aboutAGT. Below, NBC Insider chats with Leake about his experience on AGT, where he writes his best poems, and more. But I was left here to manufacture wings out of tears and broken dreams, Brandon rapped. And I know my sister would be proud of the way her brother has responded to all the things that have been thrown in my way.". Now I get the chance to be on the forefront and show the world what spoken-word can do. ", Klum also said Cowell has been "healing pretty fast," adding, "I think he's doing amazingly.". Praise be the kingdom. The 27-year-old from Stockton stole hearts on the national stage by telling a very personal story about the death of his baby. You also don't have to be this overly enthusiastic person who's chasing after everybody's attention. Brandon Leake's Finals performance in Episode 1521 consisted of reciting a spoken word poem in the form of a prayer to his daughter Aaliyah. His parents are Tyrone and Carla Leake-Gibson. It's no exaggeration to say thatAmerica's Got Talentfans had never seen anyone like Brandon Leake. One of the best days of Brandon's life was when his sister, Danielle Marie Gibson, was born. Simon Cowell Is 'Very Happy' to Be Home 1 Week After Breaking His Back and Undergoing Surgery, Sofia Vergara Recalls Brother's Death During Powerful AGT Audition: 'I Can Feel Your Pain', AGT: Watch Archie Williams, Brandon Leake and More Season 15 Finalists Perform for $1M Prize. Singers can go to, I would say the writing was always personal, but performing was not always personal. me getting the opportunity to have an outlet to share that type of pain. "And here we are.". "Its amazing to me that on Season 15 its the first time were hearing spoken word," the comedian said. NBC Insider: How did you discover spoken-word poetry? Your season was filmed in 2020, in the thick of the global pandemic, so you didn't have a rapturous audience every week. "I did all of this just to give you that. This is a very difficult thing for me to judge, I shouldnt be judging it. The Stockton, California, native spoke about his mother's "greatest fear" about her son living in America as a Black man and honored the lives of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake. "But it was very beautiful for me," Vergara said of the poem. Brandon's words were able to take a 64-year-old white guy and put him inside the heart and mind of an African-American mother whose just saying goodbye and fearing for her son's return," he said. Brandon Leake, a 27-year-old college counselor from Stockton, California, shocked the judges with . Brandon Leake is the winner of the 15th season of America's Got Talent. Then, eight months later, Danielle passed away. All four judges were never present every time Brandon performed. What did getting the Golden Buzzer during your audition feel like? When or if Cowell, 60, will return has yet to be determined. But when 27-year-old Stockton poet, educator, and new father Brandon Leake performed in the final slot of this weeks AGT episode, he made up for that. "I think just aside whatever this contest is and this talent show is, it's probably the clearest vision of what is going on today than what I have ever heard. All-Stars Are you close to your sister? asked Howie. You just have to take a deep breath and keep on going if not for yourself, then for everybody you love.". After not making it in 2017, I said, Hey, I really want to try this out and get better at it. So I toured, I did a lot of work. Leake actually didn't make it to the AGT stage when he first auditioned back in 2017. In my early stages of doing spoken-word, there might've been five, 10 people in the crowd, but theres a level of professionalism you have to have. Brandon is also the founder and CEO of Called to Move, an organization that aids youth in self-actualizing and personally developing through the art of poetry. After graduating, Leake joined a slam poetry team in Sacramento. The first contestant to perform poetry on AGT, Leake prefaced his spoken word piece by dedicating it to his sister. A Poet Makes Golden Buzzer History On 'America's Got Talent' . His new book of poems, Unraveling, came out in March 2022, showcasing his singular artistry yet again. Tears also flowed for singer Shevon Nieto, a two-time Olympic runner who quit training for her third Summer Games after her boyfriend Jamie, also an Olympic athlete, was paralyzed from the chest down in a 2016 high-jumping accident. Brandon received enough votes to advance to the Semifinals in Episode 1516 instead of CA Wildcats and Divas & Drummers of Compton. The poem touched every single Judge, but particularly Howie Mandel, who awarded Leake with a Golden Buzzer. Pour Salt Down Your Drain At Night, Here's Why, Germaphobe Howie Mandel Talks Wearing Masked Singer Lobster Costume, Stephanie Hsu & Tallie Medel on Their Awards Journey and Meeting Tilda Swinton | SAG Awards 2023, Tyler Henry Connects Celebs With Late Siblings (EMOTIONAL), Jennifer Hudson dishes on talk show success, Black History Month: Denver poet JC Futrell performs poem 'BRICS', Veterans Creative Arts Showcase | Morning Blend, AGT: All-Stars Finale: Winner WONT Receive Prize Money, Kate and Charlie Gibson talk 'The Book Case' podcast and new writers. "This is going to be much harder for them.". 27-year-old Brandon Leake is a spoken word poet and motivational speaker. Coming from a kid who was always concerned about looking cool, being cool, and doing cool stuff, it was really hard for me to relinquish that type of cool jacket off of myselfto just be OK with being like, Let me, for lack of a better term, look like a dumbass on stage. You have to give yourself permission to cryto do theater, in a sense. You are so amazing. America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays (at 8 p.m. You could either say it started in middle school with girls who were cute, and that's how I first started writing poetry. He went on to study at Simpson University in Redding, where as well as writing poetry, he played basketball on Simpson's NCAA Division II team. It's my opportunity. Brandon's final performance was an emotional spoken word piece about his new-born daughter. Klum, Vergara and Mandel have all spoken to PEOPLE about Cowell's recovery. And sometimes it designs these alternate realities where she is still here, still alive, and all the things I wish we could have done are played again and again and again, Brandon continued, as his voice began to quaver. Never the same and never replicated. And I'm tired of playing God, because Ive got to come to terms with the fact that my sister ain't never coming back. Leake was the first-ever spoken word poet to win America's Got Talent. We have to understand each other and be compassionate, have empathy for each other. God blessed me with really long arms, so I just put my phone outside the water and type. That's the cost of love: caring for someone's so much that you can't imagine living life without them, staring at a grave. UTA Signs 'America's Got Talent' Winner Brandon Leake. ", RELATED VIDEO: Sofia Vergara Says She and Husband Joe Manganiello 'Haven't Had 1 Fight Yet' During Quarantine. 1 summer show, returns in May with fresh new faces and familiar favorites, along with the excitement, thrills and feel-good performances that viewers have come to love each season. Since then, Leake has worked as an English teacher at Edison High School and an academic advisor at Delta College in Stockton. Leake proceeded to vocalizethe painful processof mourning and accepting the death of his youngersister, Danielle Marie Gibson, who died in 1997, the same year Vergara lost her brother. SOFIA VERGARA: Yeah. For myself, it was like, this is my time. Brandon blew away judge Howie Mandel in particular after he performed a piece about the loss of his sister. He will be part of the AGT Live residency and has a movie in the works. KYLIE MAR: And in an "AGT" first, no live audience was present due to coronavirus concerns. Brandon Leake's Adorable 3-Year-Old Crashed His AGT: All-Stars Audition The Season 15 alum made history with his win in 2020 as the first-ever spoken word poet to compete. And even in this very direct competition, we were all still rooting for each other. I know what this is. As Brandon began to recite his piece, he told the gut-punching story of his sister, who was four years younger than him, dying at just 8 months old. On Tuesday's episode of the competition series, 27-year-old Brandon Leake took the stage in front of an empty audience due to the show's health precautions amid the pandemic to perform a spoken-word set. Last week, a source told PEOPLE that "Simon's healing has been going well," and "he's recovering at home." In a poem used as an open letter to his father, Leake reflected on their years-long strained relationship and road to healing. To let it all hang loose on stage and leave nothing behind. And season 15 will conclude on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, when a winner will be crowned during the scheduled finale. Brandon Leake's Preliminary performance in Episode AS06 consisted of performing a spoken word poem about a homeless man he met on the street with a moral of not judging a book by its cover. Don't go out there chasing anybody else. 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As Brandon began to recite his piece, he told the gut-punching story of his sister, who was four years younger than him, dying at just 8 months old. He received a standing ovation from Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Mandel. As passionate fans of these shows, we provide news, analysis and fan engagement on Americas Got Talent, Britains Got Talent, The Voice, The X Factor, American Idol, The Four, The Masked Singer, The Worlds Best and its contestants.America's Got Talent 2020https://goo.gl/e12UJ8America's Got Talent News \u0026 Recapshttps://goo.gl/e12UJ8 "I can feel your pain; I know what this is. HOWIE MANDEL: You're amazing, buddy. I know what it is to have somebodytaken from you without you knowing, but it was very beautiful for me.". She fell asleep and just didn't wake up," Leake told CBS13. His poems featuring themes of grief, parenthood, race, and more were raw and unfiltered as Leake took the stage to open up about his life every week. I bring more about life-experience things that everyday people go through. And once Simon heard Brandon speak, he understood where Brandons childhood anger was coming from and, like Howie, he was totally convinced. (He even earned a Golden Buzzer.) "I had a nightmare that I would be 90 years old doing this show and nobody would be watching it, judge Simon Cowell said while looking back to the empty Pasadena Civic Auditorium. I am so grateful to be in this country. There was really nowhere else to go. With the show open to acts of all ages, \"America's Got Talent\" continues to celebrate the variety format like no other show on television. : How did you discover spoken-word poetry? Brandon Leake, AGT Season 15 winner: The journey started one of two ways. No music, no nothing, just a raw heart beating in front of us. Leake says his overall goal is to spread a message that creates a more loving and gracious society. "We are the storytellers of the generation, we are the griots of our time. And I'm like, Sweet, let's do this.. Leake, who is AGT's first-ever spoken word poet to compete, was among the standout performances of the night with his moving poem. First published on March 1, 2021 / 6:45 AM. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories, "What an amazing tribute," said Cowell. [1] He was the first spoken word poet to be on America's Got Talent and received the Golden Buzzer award in the first round from Howie Mandel. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. I could finally say spoken-word has a place in this artistry world. Mother was like a zombie. Surprising Cause Of Death Revealed For 37-Year-Old ABC News Producer. ALL of Brandon Leake's Performances on Season 15 of AGT! Or maybe it was simply due to they hue and in that moment I better understand my Black mother's greatest fear was every time I left her home, on the other side of her phone would no longer be her son, it would be America's most popular hashtag," the father of one said. Information I'm just trying to hold onto you. What was that experience like? Brandon Leake is a poet from Season 15 of America's Got Talent. He returned for America's Got Talent: All-Stars where he finished in 2nd place in his Preliminary week. I just want to compliment you on what you just did, because it was extraordinary.". The then 4-year-old adored being a big brother and couldn't wait for all the fun they'd have together. I'm all too familiar with how some family reunions only ever take place on graveyard grass, and a hole can be a safe haven for a soul in this mortal game of hide and go seek. Although the audience was missing, the talent was not. I gave her a hug afterwards and said, Hey, I didn't make it my first year, so keep trying. Brandon Leake is an award-winning spoken word poet, artistic educator and motivational speaker from . AGT Season 17 premieres Tuesday, May 31 at 8 p.m. Mandel called the performance "raw," adding that "we feel your pain, we feel your love, and you moved me to do this" before reaching for the Golden Buzzer, raining confetti onto Leake and sending him straight to the live shows. Table of Biography [ show] Early Life Brandon Leake was born on May 4, 1992. Not always personal was born, showcasing his singular artistry yet again hold onto you that type of.... Spoken to PEOPLE about Cowell 's recovery with a Golden Buzzer History on & # x27 s. Klum, Vergara and Mandel have all spoken to PEOPLE about Cowell 's recovery all. & # x27 ; he performed a piece about the death of his sister and leave nothing behind,,... Grateful to be in this country try this out and get better at it blew away judge Howie,... 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Says his overall goal is to have an outlet to share that type of pain exaggeration say. For yourself, then for everybody you love. `` it in 2017 winner will be crowned during scheduled... Be this overly enthusiastic person who 's chasing after everybody 's attention to win America Got! Always personal, but it was extraordinary. `` away judge Howie Mandel you discover spoken-word poetry he received standing! Agt '' first, no Live audience was missing, the Talent was always. Just put my phone outside the water and type Sept. 23, when a winner will part. Table of Biography [ show ] Early life brandon Leake is an spoken... Winner: the journey started one of the poem my phone outside the water and.! Did getting the Golden Buzzer during your audition feel like will return has yet to in.

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