‘AGT’ Singer Shaquira McGrath Owns Gretchen Wilson’s ‘Redneck Woman’ During Emotional Audition
The three America's Got Talent judges liked Shaquira McGrath even before she started to sing Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" on Tuesday night (June 23), but her version of the song solidified her as a serious competitor on the newest season of the NBC reality show.
Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell and Sofia Vergara praised a tearful McGrath when her performance wrapped. But before belting out a spot-on recreation of Wilson's signature song from 2004, the Georgia native charmed the panel (minus a sick Heidi Klum), talking about her job as a server at the Atlanta Braves baseball stadium. She says that while she's not a "professional," she's singing all the time.
"I literally sing walking in the door. I sing to the tables when it’s their birthdays. We have little concerts in the back in downtime, it’s all we do," McGrath shares.
However, ideas of what a professional singer should look like held her back. When she says "Well I ain't never, been the Barbie doll type" to start the song, everyone watching knows that lyric is coming from a real place, even if someone else wrote it.
Cowell’s kind words combined with the audience’s neverending applause are just too much for McGrath in the clip above. She starts to tear up as the three judges begin to laud her performance. “In my mind, this is what I’m picturing” she tells the judges before dabbing her eyes.
“'ou’ve got a genuinely, great, great voice,' Cowell says. 'A great personality. People are going to root for you. And I think honestly Shaquira, this is just the beginning for you. I think there is so much more now that you’ve got the confidence.'
"Whatever those idiots say," he adds, referring to critics of her body type, "they’re idiots because they don’t know what they’re talking about. I absolutely love you and I love that audition."
America's Got Talent (or AGT) airs on NBC at 8PM ET on Tuesdays.
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