Egyptian Medhat Mamdouh entered the America’s Got Talent (AGT) stage with a recorder, a tiny wooden instrument. The judges appeared doubtful and even a little antagonistic toward the instrument, which many people associate with music instruction in schools, particularly Simon Cowell. The panel even made fun of the fact that there aren’t any well-known recorder players in history after Simon said that he “hates recorders” because he had to play one in school. Unfazed, Medhat calmly explained that he was going to use the recorder to play an original piece, laying the groundwork for one of the most surprising musical surprises in the history of the show.
Medhat started the concert with a conventional, melodic piece on the recorder, but it soon took an amazing turn. Abruptly, he turned the straightforward instrument and his performance into a multi-layered, intricate musical performance. At the same time, he performed both expert-level, rhythmic beatboxing and the bright, flowing melody of the recorder. Medhat created a whole, dynamic soundtrack by deftly combining modern urban beats with traditional Middle Eastern music using his mouth and the instrument. The judges were astounded by the audio illusion produced by combining the beatbox and a basic recorder.
His brilliance and inventiveness won over the panel. Sofia Vergara enjoyed the concert and the Middle Eastern flavor since she was not traumatized by the instrument. Howie Mandel called the change “surprising” and acknowledged that Medhat had taken an instrument that is sometimes despised and turned it “trendy.” Most amazingly, the “recorder-hating” Simon Cowell was compelled to acknowledge that the performance was “good” and “unexpected,” declaring, “I’m actually going to say yes!” Four thundering “yeses” immediately confirmed Medhat’s ambitious aim of establishing his own Vegas show.
