Before he even sung a song, 28-year-old San Diego resident Brian Justin Crum touched the audience with his tale of perseverance on the America’s Got Talent stage. Brian experienced severe bullying as a child because of his weight, gay orientation, and desire to become a musician. He gave a heartfelt ode to his mother, who helped him get through these “tough times” and even gave him permission to leave home as a teenager in order to start over. Brian, who currently works for a car business to pay his expenses, thanked his mother for her constant support in him and regarded this audition as his one real chance to turn his life around.
Any vocalist would be brave to choose to perform Queen’s “Somebody to Love,” but Brian was able to put on a performance that many people believe to be among the best in the show’s history. All four judges and the entire audience stood up when he spoke with raw emotion, control, and a rock-and-roll power. He transformed the stage into a private haven of victory by putting all of his past hardships and present passion into the lyrics rather than merely singing the notes.
Simon Cowell said that this is precisely why the show exists—to give enormous talents like Brian a platform to be heard—in response to the panel’s legendary response. In a moving statement, Howie Mandel said that although the song begs if anybody can find him a lover, he found “everybody to love” him that evening. Brian finally turned his years of work into a moment of pure, worldwide glory, and he exited the stage trembling with delight after collecting four emphatic “Yes” votes.
