Gaithersburg Singer Anna Wilson Gets ‘AGT’ Surprise By Mom
An aspiring Maryland singer got the surprise of a lifetime during what she thought was a VIP tour at “America’s Got Talent.”
Anna Wilson
Anna Wilson thought she was just attending a taping of AGT with her mom… until she saw her mom walk onto the stage.
Anna Wilson had many surprises in store for her fans.
Gaithersburg native Anna Wilson, 21, had her world turned upside down by her mother, who pulled a fast one on her in front of a raucous audience during auditions for the popular show.
Wilson thought she and her mother were in for a special VIP experience out in California — but her mother had something a little bigger in mind before they even boarded the plane out west.
During the latest round of auditions aired on NBC, Wilson’s mother Carrie took to the stage, sparking her daughter’s curiosity as she sat in the crowd.
The young singer went from cheering along with the other fans to being cheered herself.
“I’m actually here surprising my daughter,” her mother said as Wilson stood up crying. “She thinks we’re here for a VIP experience in the audience… but I nominated her to audition here today.”
Her mother told judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Mel B, and Sofia Vergara that last year, Wilson decided to “make a go of music,” and asked her to arrange some gigs and performances.
This one was above and beyond.
A confused Wilson mused that she “took a picture outside … I thought it was so cool that this is where they film
America’s Got Talent
.
Well. Turns out, in fact, they were there to film HER performance.
A stunned Wilson was visibly shaken and was permitted by Cowell to head backstage to correct herself before performing in front of a feverish crowd that was rooting for her.
Wilson belted a rendition of Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love,” which she dedicated to her doting mother, but was unexpectedly interrupted by Cowell, who was initially unimpressed.
“I think that song is a bit boring,” Cowell crowed while a cacophony of boos rained around him from the crowd. “I really want this to work for you. Do you have a second song?”
She did.
After her take on Maren Morris’ “My Church,” it was down to the judges to determine the 21-year-old’s Hollywood fate.
“That was beautiful … Simon is always right — I know it was nerve-racking to be stopped in the middle of a song, but he knows there’s potential,” Vergara said. “You have potential.”
Mel B. was less complimentary, calling Wilson’s voice beautiful, and musing that in a few years, she could “walk on this stage and smash it … but today I wasn’t really feeling it.”
Mandel, who said Wilson “deserves another chance,” Vergara, and Cowell all voted yes, with Mel B. as the only “no” vote, sending the Maryland native into the next round of the competition.
“I think most people put in your position would have ran, but you were willing to take the challenge,” Cowell said. “It showed that you’ve got guts, and I really, really like you … so I’m saying yes.
“Your mom threw you out there, which is so beautiful,” host Terry Crews said after the performance. “Thanks for being out there.”
After her performance went viral, Wilson took to Instagram to thank her mother, as well as God.
“Before my episode airs tomorrow, I want to take a moment to share how grateful I am for the overwhelming love and support I’ve received from family, friends, and my community,” she posted before her episode aired.
“I’ve dreamed of becoming a singer ever since I was a little girl.”
Cowell’s kind words may have been the best part for Wilson, who said she has been a fan for more than a decade.
“I remember being six years old, watching American Idol, I’ve imagined what it would be like to audition in front of Simon Cowell, and to actually audition with him right there in front of me was the most surreal feeling of my life.”
