There are all kinds of different people in the world with all kinds of different personalities.
Part of what makes life so interesting is that we get to interact with so many people who are so different from us. Sometimes we’ll meet people who are lost in their own worlds, who are quiet and introspective and more prone to stay home reading than to go out clubbing. On the other hand, sometimes we meet people with such big personalities that we need to stand back a little bit.
This performance on America’s Got Talent is definitely one of the latter!
The performer we’re talking about is Sal Valentinetti, a 20-year-old man from Long Island, New York.
Valentinetti is an Italian-American man who brought his whole family to the audition with him. Although he had dreams of being a performer, his job at the time of the audition was delivering pizzas for his cousin’s pizza shop.
Because he brought his whole family with him, Valentinetti had a surplus of confidence when he appeared on the stage.
Before getting very far into the audition, Valentinetti even started flirting with Heidi Klum!
After a moment, Simon Cowell asks Valentinetti why he decided to appear on the show.
He thinks about it and explains that he wants to make something of himself, to bring back an old-fashioned way of singing and performing and to make his grandmother proud. With all that out of the way, he’s ready to sing. As a final sign-off, he tells the judges that he’s not there to audition, he’s there to win!
Though Valentinetti is certainly a boisterous personality, everything changes when he starts to sing.
First he gathers himself as “My Way” by Frank Sinatra starts playing.
As he starts singing, it’s clear he still has all the confidence he displayed before. His voice is deep and booming and suits the Sinatra song perfectly! It’s not often that someone can take on one of these enormous songs and do it just as much justice as the original.
He handles the verses with ease and the crowd cheers along with him before he’s even done. By the end, he hits the last huge note and absolutely nails it!
Once it’s all over, the crowd and the judges are giving him a standing ovation.
Though nobody was sure exactly what to expect, his performance clearly made the judges so proud.
Simon comments that he’s sure that Valentinetti’s grandmother is looking down on him proudly and at this it makes him almost tear up! His performance even gets him a big hug and a kiss from Heidi Klum!
Next up, he shakes all the judges hands… and starts charming them one by one. It’s rare to see a performer be this confident under this much scrutiny, but Sal pulls it off with no problems.
At the very end, Valentinetti gets the best gift of all—he gets a Golden Buzzer from Heidi Klum!
Though this style of singing (and this kind of personality) are not for everyone, Valentinetti clearly won over the whole crowd that day!
Though Valentinetti didn’t win on his season, he made it to the finals and has gone on to lead his own successful singing career! Today, Valentinetti has his own website and does performances all over the country. As his performance and successful career show, you have to be your authentic self if you have any hope of people recognizing you and celebrating you.
Congratulations to Sal on his incredible performance and ongoing success! Watch the full thing below:
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