14-Year-Old Lai Noelle Gets First Golden Buzzer on AGT Season 21

Fourteen-year-old Lai Noelle of Texas earned the first Golden Buzzer of America's Got Talent Season 21 during the audition premiere. Initially shy and soft-spoken — even accepting water from host Terry Crews — she revealed a powerful, textured alto once she began to sing, leaving judges Howie Mandel and Mel B mesmerized.

Sofía Vergara leaned toward Simon Cowell saying she was thinking of pressing the Golden Buzzer; Cowell replied, "Nah, I wouldn't," then told Noelle, "Honestly, what I think? Words aren't necessary," and hit the button himself. The moment left Vergara frustrated but the room elated.

Noelle performed "Die On This Hill" by British artist Sienna Spiro, a song about being stuck with someone who isn't fully in a relationship yet still holding on. Spiro described it as "a song about being stubborn and caring, which I don't think is spoken about too much," adding that many people are not indifferent in that way.

lai noelle, golden buzzer, agt, season 21, terry crews, howie mandel, mel b, sofía vergara, simon cowell, sienna spiro