One of the two Mississippi natives to make it to the live quarterfinal rounds of “America’s Got Talent” on Aug. 18 has been eliminated.
Ashford Sanders of Canton was one of seven eliminated in the opening round of the live quarterfinals. Typically, three of the 11 contestants per round move on to the semifinals, but round one was atypical: one contestant earned a golden buzzer, allowing four to move on from the quarterfinals.
Sanders, a soul food restaurant owner in Atlanta, took the audience and judges by storm during his audition on July 10 with an R&B-inspired rendition of Billie Eilish’s hit song “What Was I Made For?” Sanders cruised to the live quarterfinals in Pasadena for his unique interpretation of the song and the emotions he put on display.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite stick the landing in the same way during the quarterfinals. On Tuesday, Sanders chose to perform a different type of song than before, picking one centered on finding love rather than purpose, as was the case in “What Was I Made For?” Sanders’ version of ILLENIUM and Teddy Swims’ song “All That Really Matters” didn’t hit the mark for the judges, leaving them and the crowd less convinced than they had been in the audition rounds.
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“I’m going to be honest, I like the Teddy Swims version better,” Howie Mandel said. “If you’re going to take it, you’ve got to make it your own and make it better, especially at this point.”
The sentiment that Sanders didn’t make the song “his own,” as he did with “What Was I Made For?”, was a common feeling among the judges and ultimately a factor in Sanders’ elimination among fans.
“I wish you’d chosen a song where you could have completely reinterpreted something so you would have had a moment, because it wasn’t quite, for me, a moment,” Simon Cowell said.
Although Sanders didn’t make the cut in the quarterfinals, the Mississippi native still received ample praise for the quality of his voice.
“I think you could literally sing anything,” Mel B said. “Your voice is so good, so beautiful.”
“It was super emotional,” Sofía Vergara added. “I loved it.”
While Sanders’ time in the spotlight might be done, the hope for a Mississippi native to advance isn’t gone yet. Columbia native Elsie will perform in the third round of the live quarterfinals on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Fans can vote during and after the episode airs at 7 p.m., up until 6 a.m. the next day. To cast your vote, click here.