Simon Cowell is known for being a tough cookie, but America’s Got Talent act Sky Elements left the judge at a loss for words with their semi-finals performance.
The group created an emotional show dedicated to member Preston Ward’s late daughter, Briley Rose, on the competition’s Wednesday, September 11, episode. The performance, set to the song “Butterfly” by Liv Meola, began by depicting a father and daughter playing together. As the father throws his little girl up into the air, she turns into a butterfly and flies away.
Judge Sofía Vergara was shown wiping away tears as the drones portrayed images of the father crying and the butterfly flying around a giant rose that filled the sky. The performance ended on a powerful note, with the butterfly landing on the father’s finger before transforming into a majestic phoenix.
The show earned Sky Elements a standing ovation from the judges and the audience. When asked to share his comments on the act by host Terry Crews, a visibly moved Cowell, 64, struggled to put his thoughts into words.
“That was, uh … That was, um — oh, gosh,” he muttered before ushering to his fellow judges to go first.
Vergara, for her part, quipped, “Who knew that drones could make you so emotional?” She added: “That was a surprise. That was so beautiful. That was, like, heartfelt and, I mean, I don’t even know what to say. Congratulations. What a beautiful, beautiful job.”
Heidi Klum agreed, calling it a “beautiful tribute” to Ward’s daughter. “We all had, like, the most emotions and feelings for you,” she told the group. “I just want to give you a big hug right now. Thank you for sharing that with us.”
Howie Mandel, for his part, said the performance felt particularly poignant because of its airing on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “We lost so much in America, and what a great 9/11 tribute. What a most emotional, beautiful moment,” he noted. “I can’t thank you enough for this. And I’m looking at your family members, and it just — there isn’t an act that just moves your heart this much, and you just broke us.”
After hearing the judges’ positive remarks, Ward said that he hoped the performance helped people who need “a little bit of hope right now.”
In a pre-filmed package earlier in the episode, Ward said that he knew paying tribute to his daughter would be the perfect choice for Sky Element’s semi-final show. “This performance is definitely a love letter to my daughter, and what better place to tell the story of Briley, my rose, in Pasadena, the city of roses,” he tearfully shared. “The reminders of those we’ve lost are everywhere. You just have to keep your eyes open and look around. As long as you truly believe their presence is still with you, no one is ever really gone. Briley Rose, I feel your presence in so many things, and I know you are still with me.”
Cowell has been a fan of the group all season long and even broke the show’s rule of allowing judges only one Golden Buzzer to send Sky Elements through to the live shows.
“If I have two [Golden Buzzers], you can have two,” he told his fellow judges during a June episode of AGT.
The America’s Got Talent semi-finals results air on NBC Thursday, September 12, at 8 p.m. ET.
