During her concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, Lauren Daigle welcomed former America’s Got Talent contestant Ava Swiss to the stage to an emotional performance for the crowd.
Ava is the 18 year old singer who shared her story on AGT about experiencing a tragic shooting at her high school in in Oxford, Michigan. The singer touched her community with a performance of Andra Day’s “Rise Up” in tribute to those whose lives were lost. The performance eventually went viral. The singer performed Lauren’s song “Remember” for her America’s Got Talent audition.
Now, Ava joined Lauren onstage to perform a duet of the 2018 track.
“Ava has something so potent to sing for,” Lauren said in a press release. “I was so moved by her story… by her bravery, I went backstage earlier and just started bawling [because] I’m so proud of her, and she is so loved. I hope that our donation [to “42 Strong”] will make a difference.”
During the performance Ava took a moment to thank Lauren for the opportunity. “I wanna say thank you to you because it’s things like this that keep my saying going, that love is stronger than hate.”
Later, Lauren explained that the young singer had started an organization called 42 Strong in honor of her friend Tate Myre, who died during the 2021 shooting in Michigan. She then presented her with a $25,000 check, which the American Idol alum donated through her Price Fund.
42 Strong was created with the intention to “create a better future by helping students develop a greater sense of purpose, community, and resilience.”
Lauren’s Price Fund would also match the donation by sending another $25,000 to Colorado Healing Fund — an organization whose mission is to “provide immediate and long-term support to victim’s families and survivors.’
“It’s been hard,” Ava said during her AGT audition about coping in the aftermath of the shooting. She and her brother believed they would never be able to return to school. But at the time of her audition back in April 2022, she had been in person at school for two months. “Things are getting better,” she added. For Ava, music is therapy, and singing helps her “remember the good.”
Watch Lauren Daigle and Ava Swiss perform “Remember.” After, Lauren presents Ava with a check for her 42 strong organization
