Musical savant Kodi Lee brings joy to the world on ‘AGT’

One of the archetypal songs Kodi Lee sang and played connected the soft erstwhile helium was a small lad was the Three Dog Night hit, “Joy to the World.”

For Lee, it was a forecast for his life, and besides his passionateness for music. Lee captured the hearts of the “America’s Got Talent” TV audience, soaring to the Season 14 championship. He is the archetypal autistic and developmentally challenged performer to triumph the rubric successful the show’s 16-year history.

As viewers of “AGT” cognize well, Lee was calved with optic nervus hypoplasia, and is legally blind. He was besides diagnosed with autism, and has Addisons disease. He is besides an amusement marvel, a wondrous vocalist with seemingly limitless scope and virtuoso soft skills. The 25-year-old Lee is considered a philharmonic savant, which helium displayed instantly successful his “AGT” audition of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You.” Judge Gabrielle Union deed the Golden Buzzer, sending Lee consecutive to the show”s unrecorded performances. The YouTube clip drew 50 cardinal viewers wrong 2 weeks.

Playing to lasting ovations with each advancing round, Lee performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Calum Scott’s “You Are the Reason,” Freyda Ridings’ “Lost Without You,” and successful the Sept. 18, 2019 finale, “You Are the Reason” a 2nd time, with impermanent creator Leona Lewis.

Show big Terry Crews named Lee the winner, who was onstage alongside runner-up Detroit Youth Choir. He won $1 million. And fulfilling a lifelong dream, he’s a Vegas headliner, successful the formed of “America’s Got Talent Live” astatine Luxor. The amusement is simply a accumulation concern of Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment company, Fremantle, Simon Painter’s The Works Entertainment Company (which is simply a Cique du Soleil acquisition) and MGM Resorts International.

Lee returns to the amusement Sunday aft a scheduled vacation break. During a telephone chat past week, with his parent and starring supporter, Tina, astatine his side, helium recounted his inspiring emergence to fame.

Johnny Kats: How bash you similar Las Vegas truthful far?

Kodi Lee: It is awesome. I emotion making my fans happy.

Did you ever ideate successful your beingness that you would beryllium connected a stage, playing for fans, connected the Las Vegas Strip?

Kodi Lee: Heck, yeah. I person ne'er fixed up connected my dream. I emotion being capable to stock my euphony with the world.

What were immoderate of the archetypal songs you retrieve playing

Kodi Lee: There was ‘Joy to the World,’ and besides “Shout!”

The aged stone and rotation song?

Kodi Lee: By the Isley Brothers. “You cognize you marque maine wanna shout!” Yes! That 1 is 1 of my favorites.

What did you deliberation erstwhile you got the Golden Buzzer during “AGT?”

Kodi Lee: I was shocked. I was super-happy, but I was precise shocked.

For you, Tina, did you deliberation Kodi could triumph the amusement erstwhile helium auditioned?

Tina Lee: In raising him, I person known Kodi’s ever been a truly bully entertainer. This was existent adjacent erstwhile helium was precise young, and that helium would alteration truthful galore hearts whenever helium played for people. But the happening is that, due to the fact that of his disabilities, you deliberation radical volition spot him and beryllium inspired, but past walk connected him. That happens truthful much. I ne'er truly thought it would spell arsenic large arsenic it did. It was truly shocking to me, too. We didn’t spell connected the amusement reasoning we were going to win. We went connected the amusement due to the fact that Kodi wanted to spell connected the show.

And you were determination to marque definite helium realized that dream, of conscionable performing connected “AGT?”

Tina Lee: Yes, it became my extremity conscionable to get him connected the show. That was winning, close there, for mom. Getting him connected the show.

When did Kodi go a instrumentality of the show?

Tina Lee: It was astir apt erstwhile helium was 9 years old. We watched it with him, and helium really started watching “X Factor” astatine the time. That’s erstwhile I truly wanted to get him to motion up, due to the fact that helium loved Simon truthful much. I thought it would beryllium large if Kodi could conscionable Simon, but I ne'er thought we would really marque it there.

Kodi, however was it for you to conscionable Simon?

Kodi Lee: I loved gathering him. He’s awesome.

Tina, successful the moments onstage earlier Terry announced the winner, you leaned successful adjacent and said thing to Kodi. What did you accidental to him successful each that suspense?

Tina Lee: I deliberation determination were a batch of things I was saying to Kodi, actually. I was telling him, “Oh my gosh, present we go, you’re gonna find retired who the victor is.” And I deliberation I besides said, “We’re each winners.” And I did that because, nary substance what, Kodi would person been happy.

Kodi Lee: Awwww.

Tina Lee: There are a batch of things I accidental to him erstwhile he’s sitting there, waiting, due to the fact that waiting is simply a truly hard happening for him, particularly with autism. So if I support talking, it helps the anxiousness not to get worse, if that makes sense.

Has Kodi ever had show successful his life?

Tina Lee: No, helium was really wholly blind. Then, with the diagnosis that helium has, helium has immoderate airy cognition and tin spot large letters, similar 2 inches away. And he’s present astatine that constituent wherever helium tin really spot two-inch letters 2 inches away. If you deliberation of it similar Swiss cheese, he’s looking done a spread to spot up close. So helium tin spot letters, and that’s wherefore helium knows however to work and write, and besides work Braille.

Kodi, I americium funny astir what you spot successful your mind. Do you spot figures, oregon colors?

Kodi Lee: Oh yeah, I spot colors. I spot black! Ha, ha, ha!

Tina Lee (Laughs): You conscionable spot black?

You are funny. Any others?

Kodi Lee: I spot red, and blue. I spot each the colors erstwhile I americium playing.

Tina Lee: We person each wondered that actually, what helium sees.

Other than singing and playing the piano, bash you play immoderate different instruments?

Kodi Lee: I tin play harmonica, and I tin play the drums. I play the harmonica well.

Any different interests, speech from being a vocalist and musician?

Kodi Lee: I emotion tap-dancing, exertion and spending clip with my family.

Have we taken tap-dancing lessons? Is this thing that volition beryllium portion of the act, maybe?

Tina Lee: He started tapping astir 5 years agone and has an fantabulous pat teacher. He’s inactive doing Zoom lessons. Our extremity is to travel retired with tap-dancing 1 day.

What are your plans for the caller year?

Kodi Lee: My goals are to stock my euphony and talents with the world. Hopefully I volition merchandise my medium to marque my fans happy, heck yeah. I privation everybody to emotion it.

Is this going to beryllium an medium of originals? Covers? A mix?

Kodi Lee: We are moving connected it, now.

Tina Lee: It could beryllium either, due to the fact that we’re moving connected originals, determination mightiness beryllium duet too.

Who would you privation arsenic your duet partners?

Kodi Lee: Alicia Keys. I emotion her. Stevie Wonder, and Elton John.

This is different corporate question. Do you deliberation “AGT Live” volition pb to a semipermanent aboriginal successful Las Vegas?

Tina Lee: From being successful the amusement close now, I consciousness similar determination volition be. He’s precise loved. He fulfills everybody’s heart.

Kodi Lee: I consciousness similar a prima successful Las Vegas. Oh my gosh, I emotion it.

John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.