If you’re familiar with Soprano singers, you’ll know it’s all about hitting the high notes. And during her incredible America’s Got Talent audition, Marisa Beddows reached hers in style.
The 23-year-old took to the 17th season stage with a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow (originally written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg in 1939 and sung by the late Judy Garland for the film, The Wizard of Oz).
But after singing the first few lines, Marisa added a rather impressionable twist. Having handed judge, Heidi Klum, a dice with various names on (including Marisa’s own grandmother), the singer’s pitch-perfect vocals switched between instantly recognisable voices, such as Ariana Grande, Céline Dion and even our much loved AI, Siri as per requested by Heidi.
Despite Simon Cowells’ initial reservations over yet another opera singer, her performance wowed all four judges, resulting in a much-deserved standing ovation. Marisa’s ability to switch impressions is remarkable, not to mention entertaining with her rather cute Snow White chords.
Her dedication to singing is unquestionable, having recently graduated from one of the most respected vocal schools, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. And her uptake of soprano follows some very famous faces, such as Diana Damrau (who’s achieved international fame), Katherine Jenkins (who received Classic Brit Awards in 2005 and 2006) and Monsterrat Caballé (who famously dueted with the late Freddie Mercury in 1992).
Although relatively new to our screens, Marisa has gained an impressive following across social media, with her Tiktok account reaching an excess of 747.6K fans. Starting back in 2020, the singer shares some of her favourite impressionist voices as well as a few top tips for budding singers. And her fans can’t get enough, with comments such as “That’s awesome! And u got Stevie Nicks’ flat voice perfectly You have a Great voice”.
The singer doesn’t post on Youtube, however, is still finding fans on videos shared from her performances. One commented, “love everything about her…” and another “Ha! Take that Simon Cowell! I like him but in the beginning he was being an ass! She was Good! Brava! Young lady:)”
Marisa, who’s currently raising funds to help care for her mother who’s been battling long-term health problems, can also be found on Instagram, where she shared backstage photos of her America’s Got Talent audition. On one photo she said, “WOW. When I performed in front of the @agt judges, it was my first time EVER doing impressions in front of an audience. I was SO nervous…”