Two Moms United by a Heart Transplant Wow ‘AGT’ Judges With Touching ‘Wicked’ Track: Watch
Written by djfrosty on July 19, 2023
Auditions for America’s Got Talent continued on Tuesday (July 18), and saw mothers Kim and Holly touch judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara with a unique story of how they were brought together.
“Back in 2007, my son unfortunately passed away and he became an organ donor and his heart went to Kim’s son,” Holly explained to the panel. Kim continued, “My son was 16 days old at the time. He got the heart. We lived thousands of miles apart and had no idea who each other was.”
“The last song I sang to Jake to say goodbye to him was ‘For Good’ from the musical Wicked,” to which Kim added, “And when Beckham was finished with his heart transplant surgery, I wasn’t allowed to hold him, I had to stroke his head. And the first thing I did when I stroked his head, I sang that song for him from Wicked.”
Kim and Holly’s meeting was a long time in the making, the pair revealed. “Several years later, Kim wrote a letter to us and we kept in touch, and then we had the opportunity to meet each other for the first time, and gave me a big hug and it was one of the best moments of my life,” Holly said. Kim summed up the meaning of their audition in a few words: “We would love to spread the word about organ donation — if we could change the heart of one person, it’s worth it.”
Shortly after, the pair launched into Wicked‘s Glinda and Elphaba duet “For Good,” the track that united them across several hundred miles. “Like a comet pulled from orbit/ As it passes a sun/ Like a stream that meets a boulder/ Halfway through the wood/ Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?/ But because I knew you/ I have been changed for good,” the pair harmonized on the chorus.
After they received a standing ovation from all four of the judges and the audience, Mandel asked where Kim’s son was, and Beckham joined the women on stage. “I have never responded well to musical theater. They overdramatize singing,” Mandel then began. “That is the first time in my life that I felt a connection to this kind of music. This was probably the most magical moment I have ever experienced on America’s Got Talent.”
The women received four yeses and advanced to the next round.
Watch Kim and Holly’s touching audition in the video above.