Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15) — A fisherman from the Philippines earned a standing ovation from the judges and live audience of “America’s Got Talent” (AGT) after impressing them with his powerful vocals during his audition.
Roland Abante had all four judges – Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofía Vergara – standing and applauding after he belted out a cover of Michael Bolton’s \”When a Man Loves a Woman.\”
Abante’s audition video on the official AGT YouTube channel has so far racked up over 2.4 million views since it was uploaded on Wednesday, June 14.
Before his performance, the Cebu native was visibly nervous and got briefly emotional as he told the crowd that it was his dream to perform on the AGT stage. Abante shared that he works as a fisherman in the morning and rides a motorbike to deliver goods and transport passengers the rest of the day.
\”Every night I see (the show) in my cellphone only,\” Abante said. \”This is my big dream, to be here.\”
Apart from securing all four \”yes\” votes, he also received generous words of praise from the judges.
\”You were so nervous, I genuinely thought for one moment you weren’t gonna be able to do this. And then that happens. And it actually made me love this audition even more, and I really like you,\” Cowell said.
Mandel lauded how Abante sang beautifully with emotion, while Klum said she doesn’t think the singer \”could have done it (any) better.\”
\”I have a feeling you’re gonna have to stop fishing because this is where you needed to be,\” Vergara also said.
