"I've been doing this for a long time, and the industry is really hard, because things have changed over time," 44-year-old rock 'n' soul singer Liv Warfield told Simon Cowell Tuesday, during America's Got Talent Season 19's second night of auditions. "But I continue to push, just because I feel like I have a story. I just want to inspire people. I haven't quit, and I won't."
And what a story Warfield has. While she did tell the panel that she's "done a lot of gigs" and has been onstage with the greatest in the world," including Prince and Nancy Wilson, she didn't go into much more detail. Suffice to say, the fact that a powerhouse like Warfield still isn't an A-listed household name herself, and that she felt the need to audition for AGT alongside a bunch of animal and novelty acts, proves there is indeed something very wrong with the music business.
Prince superfans no doubted recognized Warfield, even without her former signature platinum pixie cut. She joined the New Power Generation band in 2009 after Prince was intrigued by a YouTube video of her belting the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," and she became Prince's protégé, touring with him and his NPG band for five years. Prince then executive-produced her Soul Train Music Awards-winning 2014 solo album, The Unexpected, also writing its title track.
In 2015, Warfield caught the attention of another legend, Heart's Nancy Wilson — a woman who'd shared the stage for decades with one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time, Ann Wilson, and knew great singing when she heard it. Nancy invited Warfield to be the opening act for Heart's concert at the Hollywood Bowl after seeing Warfield perform the solo song "Why Do You Lie?" on The Tonight Show; the two women eventually formed their own fierce and funky rock band, Roadcase Royale.
Warfield never stopped working and grinding, releasing a new solo album called The Edge last year. "We all do it because we love it so much. We live for the music," she explained Tuesday. And yet here she was in 2024, a formidably talented woman going on a reality show to introduce herself to a new audience and catch a break.
Well... Warfield got that break. Cowell was so floored by her raw and rockin' AGT audition with her dynamite brass band that he told her, "I'm sorry, but I can't give you a yes. I've got to give you one of these." And he lunged for his Golden Buzzer, thus fast-tracking her straight to Season 19's live shows as golden confetti showered down from the ceiling.
"Liv, I have a big problem: That wasn't long enough. Seriously! I mean that lyric, 'wrecking ball,' I mean that's how I felt just then. It was like being, in a good way, punched in the face by your energy, the band, all these years of frustration," Cowell told Warfield.
Warfield kept expressing how "overwhelmed" and "grateful" she was for the AGT opportunity, but Cowell seemed even more thankful, assuring her, "You deserve that. That is the very least I could do. ... You've just made our show great. Thank you. That was amazing. ... That's what it's all about."
Tuesday's AGT episode featured two other musical standouts, seen below: An adorable 5-year-old drummer named Chrisyius Whitehead, who's been playing since age 1 and could be the new Nandi Bushell (judge Heidi Klum said he was "better than most adults"), and Taiwanese virtuoso Nini, whose fleet-fingered, heavy-metal solos on traditional Chinese instruments had a wowed, bowing-down Cowell exclaiming, "Bloody hell!" Both contestants, especially Nini, have solid chances of making to the semifinals alongside Warfield... but I'm already looking forward to Warfield's next performance when the season goes live.
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