America’s Got Talent 2024: Dee Dee Simon does not “Lose Control” for her Golden Buzzer moment
America’s Got Talent Season 19 live shows continued for a third week with a new batch of contestants performing for one of the three spots in the semi-finals. Also at stake and in addition to those three spots, was Heidi Klum’s golden buzzer, Dee Dee Simon, who moved straight to the finals.
When the lineup was released, it was no secret that Dee Dee, a passionate singer who was formerly signed to a record deal, would be a favorite for this golden buzzer. the singer is a prison nurse from Oakland, California. (Read our Recap)
In her video package, Dee Dee relived her nerve wracking audition where she took her shoes off mid-performance to feel the moment. She said it was like she was singing “back in her kitchen with her little three person audience, which typically included her son, husband, and her mother. She put singing on hold to start a family and because she wanted to help people by working as a nurse. Dee Dee also talked about the realities of working at a prison. “When you go in, you may not get out,” she shared. The inmates at the prison were very happy to see her on TV.
Dee Dee Simon delivered passionate performance of Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control”
Dee Dee sang one of the biggest hits of the year, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control.” She took some liberties with the arrangement, soulfully ad libbing and adding her own spin to the song by adding tasteful runs. She lost her shoes mid-performance and hit a few very nice high notes in her head voice. It’s not the best rendition I’ve heard of the song on these singing shows, but Dee Dee is a passionate performer who deserves to move on. She is one of the better singers on AGT this season.
Both the audience and judges give Dee Dee a standing ovation. Howie Mandel took his shoes off too. He said, “you knocked your shoes off, you knocked my shoes off.” He confusingly added that she made Jelly Roll proud and that he would be re-posting the performance, even though the song is by Teddy Swims, not Jelly Roll. Simon Cowell told her, “There was no holding you back, there was no fear,” he continued saying “You just went for it.” He thinks she could win AGT. Sofia Vergara said, “I liked this performance even better than your audition.”
Heidi Klum hits her Golden Buzzer for Dee Dee Simon
Heidi Klum called the performance “stunning” and said, “I feel like something is missing, like a sparkly belt, a sparkly ring, something gold,” and she pushed the Golden Buzzer. Dee Dee jumped up and down, enjoying the moment.
Dee Dee did a nice job, but it wasn’t the best performance of the night. Either way, she is a deserving finalist. Contestants who really knocked it out of the park were aerialist Kelsey Jane, who got a mixed reaction from the judges, dance crew Sabrina who embodied some of the past talented dance groups who have appeared on the show, and rock-star and incredible musician, Maya Neelakantan. Honorable mention goes to Reid Wilson who is a talented vocalist and is likely to advance as an audition golden buzzer.
