His name is Ben Waites and he is a gospel singer and vocal coach from Nashville, Tennessee.
Simon asks if his students know about his audition, to which Ben says no since when he’s back home, “it’s all about them”.
Heidi Klum responded with, “But now it is all about you and we can’t wait to hear you! Good luck.”
Waites says he will be singing “True Colors”, and when asked why,
“The message of the song I feel is able to speak to people no matter their age, their race, their background,” he explains, adding, “It’s able to communicate a message of hope.”
Waites brought his wife, mom, and grandmother to his audition.
His wife even waves “hi” from the side after some encouragement by host Terry Crews.
He is on stage in a wheelchair but he doesn’t discuss his disability nor do the judges ask about it.
As the music begins, a hushed silence falls over the audience, with the judges eagerly waiting for the man from Nashville to start singing.
Ben sings with emotion. He fills the place with his amazingly smooth voice, letting the song’s message carry across.
He has that gift of instantly connecting with his audience, so much so that even judge Sofia Vergara was immediately touched, getting teary eyed as he sang.
Sofia breaks out into a smile, no longer holding back tears as she soaked in Ben’s beautiful singing.
Ben finishes as smoothly as he began, with a stunned silence overcoming everyone before they get up on their feet to give him a standing ovation.
A performance like this would normally result in a Golden Buzzer.
Unfortunately, they’ve all been used up for the Season 17 auditions.
Terry Crews pushed the buzzer for saxophonist Avery Dixon, Howie Mandel for singer Maddie, Simon Cowell for singer Sara James, Sofia for dancers Mayyas and Heidi for singer Lily Meola.
As proof that Ben is really a good guy, a viewer shared her story in the comments section.
“I met Ben in our freshman year of college because we had a class together. He’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and you wouldn’t know that he has a “disability” because he’s never let that stop him do anything he wanted to do.”
“He’s overcome so many challenges in his life that none of us have any excuses as to why we can’t achieve great things too. The joy that he has is with him every time I’ve seen him. I’m glad he’s getting to share that with a larger audience now.” she continued.
All three judges were smiling as they applauded Ben.
As to Ben’s fate, we will have to wait and see.
The next rounds are coming up, and with so many amazing talents on the show, it could be a season to remember.
Watch Ben’s emotional audition in the video below!
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