Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
The Bergen Record
Watch this 'America's Got Talent' quarterfinal performance by Journeyy, 9, of Jersey City
By Amanda Wallace , NorthJersey.com,
20 hours ago
A 9-year-old musical prodigy from Jersey City who has repeatedly wowed the "America's Got Talent" judges and audience unfortunately met the end of his AGT journey on Wednesday night's quarterfinal episode.
Journeyy Belton, who simply goes by Journeyy on stage, first impressed the judges and AGT fanbase with his audition in which he played piano and sang an original song called "Paradise."
At his audition, Journeyy received a standing ovation from the audience and from all four judges which include Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel.
"You're somebody who has just got the God given talent and it's rare," said Cowell. "Great things are gonna happen for you, I can feel it."
Wednesday night's episode completed week three of quarterfinal rounds, revealing three of the 12 acts that will compete in the live semifinal round.
For his quarterfinal performance, Journeyy played piano once again and sang a rendition of "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley.
With this captivating performance, he once again blew away the audience and the judges with both Mandel and Vergara calling his performance the "best" and "most exciting thing to happen tonight."
"I have to applaud you because it's quite gutsy to take this very very famous Bob Marley song, very gutsy so good on you for doing that," said Klum. "You sounded beautiful."
Cowell too was rooting for Journeyy saying, "There is something about you. You know, you're such a sweet kid with such potential and I really really really hope the audience gets behind you tonight because you really deserve this."
Unfortunately, while his performance was enough to be voted into the top five in this quarterfinal round, Journeyy was not voted one of the top three and will not be advancing to the semifinals.
After the show, Journeyy's parents, who manage his music page on Instagram , posted to his Instagram story, "Of course Journeyy is taking it hard like we all are. But I am so proud and thankful to God. Can't wait for what is next in his plan."
According to his official bio on NBC , Journeyy has "captivated audiences with his inspirational and powerful performances" since the age of 6, discovering his love for singing and songwriting at a young age.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he expanded his skills by using YouTube videos to teach himself guitar, piano and ukulele.
His cover of a Billie Eilish song went viral, catching the attention of Cowell who encouraged him to audition for the show, according to his bio.
Journeyy has posted several singing videos and covers to his TikTok page including one of "Ocean Eyes" by Billie Eilish, "Easy on Me" by Adele, and more, collectively gathering millions of views.
"People don't know this but Journeyy auditioned for MJ on Broadway. Didn't get the role, he was so distraught for days. And then God gave AGT," said his parents on Instagram after the show. "So I'm hurt, but it's hard not to have faith. Thanks again to everyone who has been supportive and showing love. Can't wait to see what's next."
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0