Fifteen-year-old Sarah Ikumu walked onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage looking like any shy schoolgirl. Then she opened her mouth.
She’d chosen Jennifer Hudson’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls, one of the hardest songs in the world to sing. Simon Cowell warned her as much before she started. She sang it anyway, and she nailed it.
Her voice was massive, soulful, and shockingly mature, the kind of sound you don’t expect from someone so young. By the final notes, the crowd was already on its feet. Amanda Holden called it mind-blowing. Alesha Dixon looked stunned.
Then Simon reached for the golden buzzer. Confetti rained down as he told her the performance started strong and then she seemed almost possessed.
Sarah became the series’ first golden buzzer act, sailing straight into the semi-finals. She’d go on to reach the live final, finishing seventh overall, but the moment that mattered most had already happened, the second she opened her mouth.
