Simon Cowell gets booed for stopping Filipino group mid-performance
Photo from AGT Auditions/Facebook
America’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell – known for his scathing comments and pointed criticism of contestants – once again provoked the ire of the audience in the June 25 episode of the show.
Filipino singing group L6 was belting out “All by Myself,” popularized by Celine Dion, as tribute to their late mom when Cowell abruptly stopped them mid-song — an unexpected move that drew boos from the audience.
L6 is a family singing group with a mission. Hailing from the Philippines, they run a garment business but their true passion lies in music.
Consisting of five siblings and a niece, L6 told the judges they aimed to win the $1 million prize for a “big, big house” to accommodate their 10 siblings and one of their four children.
Coming all the way from the Philippines, they crossed the ocean to fulfill a dream and a promise.
“This is our late mother’s dream, and before she passed away, her dream for us [was] to perform on America’s Got Talent,” said a group member.
Lovingly reminiscing about their mom, their heartfelt Facebook message reads, “Your hope and dreams for us to perform on #americasgottalent stage is no longer a dream. We knew if you (were) still alive you (would be) our biggest fan seated on the very first front row…”
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Simon Cowell’s unexpected interruption
About a minute into their song, they were abruptly stopped by Cowell, who held his hand up. The audience wasn’t having it. They reacted with boos that echoed loudly — expressing displeasure over Cowell’s unexpected reaction.
“I want to say something,” Simon declared. “There are a lot of singing groups. I’m gonna do something which I think is gonna help you. Lose the track. Okay? Because, in my opinion, the track was terrible. There aren’t that many great a cappella groups, and I think you’ve got the potential to be a great a cappella group.”
A bit skeptical, Heidi Klum asked, “How do they keep the tempo? That’s gonna be hard for them.”
L6 wasn’t easily deterred and delivered a beautiful acapella version of the song, leaving the judges in awe.
The group proved their mettle, belting out a performance that moved the crowd to tears. Simon’s verdict? Nothing short of impressed.
“You could tell instantly, this is a great singing group. How you just took on everything without the track? You were more unique, it was more special, it was more memorable. You just absolutely nailed that,” Simon said.
L6 ended their night with a sweeping “yes” from all the four judges, including Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel.
This victory that takes the group to the next round, is another testament to how Filipino and Filipino American singers have conquered the global stage – including the Fil-Am twins, who recently concluded their impressive run on “The Voice.”
Stay tuned for the AGT journey of L6! The season finale is expected mid-September.
