AGT: Howie Mandel Calls Golden Buzzer Winner Joseph Allen a 'Shining Star in This Crowded World'
The competition is heating up on America’s Got Talent!
Ahead of another round of quarterfinals on Tuesday, Howie Mandel gave his Golden Buzzer winning singer Joseph Allen some words of encouragement before hitting the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
“My advice is don’t think about it, just do it. What got you here is what you felt would get you here so stay true to yourself,” the longtime judge told PEOPLE.
“He just made me smile, he was a bright light and a great talent,” Mandel said of Allen. “Just a little shining star in this crowded world.”
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The 21-year-old Texas native blew the judges and audience away with his original ballad-rap fused song during the auditions. Allen, who is also a motocross racer and student in Phoenix, Arizona, told audiences that he hopes to inspire others with his music. “I see myself as someone who can make a major impact in the world and I just want to see how much of a footprint I can leave on Earth before I leave,” he said.
Though Allen went straight to the live shows with his Golden Buzzer, he will have to fight for his spot in the semifinals.
“If they try to serve the judges or they try to serve the audience, then they’re not serving themselves,” Mandel told PEOPLE of past contestants who failed to move on to the next stage of the competition.
Allen will be going up against fellow Golden Buzzer winners, including violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa (Simon Cowell’s choice) and dance group V.Unbeatable (guest judge Dwyane Wade’s choice).
Rounding out the acts this week are opera singer Robert Finley, singer Chris Klafford, dance group Light Balance Kids, dancer Marina Mazepa, sideshow Nick & Lindsay, the Ndlovu Youth Choir, comedian Ryan Niemiller, and singer Charlotte Summers. The Sentimentalists were chosen as the wild card.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on NBC.