Angelina Green recently won over the “America’s Got Talent” judges with her emotional rendition of “I’ll Stand by You,” but she almost had trouble finding her voice.
Green earned the golden buzzer after the performance, which she dedicated to her mother for raising her after Angelina’s estranged father was no longer in the picture.
“Before I went on stage, Tyra Banks really helped me calm down,” the 13-year-old singer told TheWrap about the show’s host. “When I was actually on the stage, the judges talked to me right before, so it also helped me soak it all in before I started singing. I could barely talk, I was so nervous.”
Green was especially pleased that Heidi Klum was the judge who hit the buzzer for her: “Heidi is one of the toughest judges, so for her to pick the golden buzzer for me was unreal.”
The teen said she chose to discuss her painful past in order to encourage others who are enduring tough moments.
“I want people to know I didn’t share my story so people feel pity for me or feel sad for me,” Green said. “It was only for those who want to listen and who can feel connected, and they can be inspired, so they could achieve their dreams — it doesn’t matter what’s going through your life. You can go through that.”
“America’s Got Talent” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.