Rodeo Queen Kylie Frey Earns a Spot on ‘America’s Got Talent!’ [Watch]

Hold onto your (cowboy) hats! Another country contestant has entered the America’s Got Talent arena!

Kylie Frey quickly earned herself a spot in the next phase of the talent competition by offering up a heartfelt rendition of an original song called "Horses in Heaven."

Before jumping into her performance, Frey reflected on her journey to the big stage. Country has always run in her veins, explaining that she grew up in a big rodeo family and used to sing the national anthem for those events. Frey's grandfather encouraged her to pursue singing, saying that if she continuously showed up at smaller rodeos to do her job, eventually she'd be offered the opportunity to sing the national anthem at NFR. For non-country folks, Frey clued them in on it being the "Super Bowl of Rodeo."

With the perfect amount of context, Frey started strumming away on her guitar in her grandfather's memory. Despite previously admitting she was a little nervous, Frey was more than able to power through the deeply personal song — even earning a happy finger wave from judge Simon Cowell. Press play below to hear the audition for yourself.

When it was time to hear from the judges, three of the votes were expected: yeses from Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell. It was their fellow judge's vote, Howie Mandel, that seemed to puzzle the audience. Mandel voted no, citing that the song wasn't sticking around with him after the closing notes. Thankfully for Frey, the three yes votes were enough to advance her to the next round of the competition! 

Frey is not an entirely new face to country music fans, though AGT marks the largest mainstream attention she's received. The Louisiana-born singer released her Rodeo Queen EP independently in 2020, and Taste of Country gave readers a first listen.

America’s Got Talent airs weekly on Tuesday nights at 8PM ET on NBC.

Country Singers You Forgot Got Their Start on Reality TV: