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Opera singer and voice impressionist Merissa Beddows will be auditioning for the upcoming episode of America's Got Talent (AGT) and is set to impress the judges and the live audience with both her singing and impressions of various celebrities. She will be one among the many contestants fighting for their place in the competition to move forward and potentially win the title.
Merissa recently began a GoFundMe fundraiser for her mother, who has been battling health problems. In the bio titled Please Help My Mom, the AGT contestant described her mother’s ordeal as someone who bore through a significant number of medical emergencies that have resulted in extended hospitalizations at various medical facilities.
The singer confessed that she has been the primary caregiver for her mother since her father passed away, and since then, has witnessed her mother go through a couple of surgeries, memory loss, and brain haemorrhage, all of which were severe enough to leave her in a state of confusion and pain.
Merissa’s goal is to raise $25,000 to tend to her mother with proper care in a long-term facility, where she can also get help from the local nurses. This way, she could also manage her studies in school without having to constantly worry about her mother.
AGT contestant Merissa Beddows receives standing ovation from judges
The 23-year-old contestant auditioned on AGT and impressed the judges and the audience with her talented skills. Ahead of her audition, Merissa revealed that she is currently an opera student at the Curtis Institute of Music. Although Simon Cowell didn't look very interested or amused with her at the start, he, along with the other judges, couldn't believe the level of talent and skill that she brought onto the stage.
Before her act, Heidi Klum was handed a dice with six of Merissa's favorite impressions on it. These included that of Ariana Grande, Stevie Nicks, Celine Dion, Snow White, and Siri, all of whose voices the contestant was to impersonate in her song. While singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow as herself, she transitioned into each of these voices to receive a standing ovation from all the judges.
As stated by Merissa herself, the AGT contestant is an opera student who is also skillful at voice impressions. The Soprano singer is a viral sensation on TikTok, where she shares her impressions with her followers. The artist has amassed over 745K followers and has received more than 13 million likes on her videos.
She also shares some of her impression videos on Instagram where she has over 41K followers. In her bio, she lists herself as a Soprano/Comedian/Impersonator. Other impressions that the contestant has tried are those of Britney Spears, Evanescence, and Billie Eilish.
The AGT contestant also loves to impersonate Disney characters including Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Mermaid.
Apart from Merissa, Season 17 of America's Got Talent (AGT) has seen some incredible performances from contestants like Madison Baez, Avory Dixon, Sara James, and Mayyas, all of whom won each of the judges' coveted golden buzzers that will take them straight to the live shows. This week, viewers will get to witness comedy, magic, singing, and many other talents on the competition's stage.
America's Got Talent (AGT) has been renewed for the 17th year in a row and the season has seen many contestants displaying their skills to move forward in the competition. Over the years, the reality talent competition has been extremely popular, with many of the competitors becoming household names and known worldwide.
The competition has only amped up this year as we see people from diverse backgrounds compete to be crowned the winner of the iconic show. The current batch has examples of previous winners and well-known names to carry on as inspiration. Fan favorite celebrity judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum are back on the judging panel.
Tune in to AGT on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 08.00 pm ET on NBC.
