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There have been many singers on America’s Got Talent this season and only a few have made it to the 2017 finale. Angelica Hale, a young vocalist, has made it to the finals, with the support of her parents, and she is vying for the $1 million prize. And, she says that she hopes to be the next Whitney Houston.
When Hale was very young, she became ill and needed a kidney transplant at just four years old. In response, Hale’s mother stepped in and donated her own kidney to save her daughter’s life. According to ABS-CBN, Hale has been singing since she was just 2 years old and she hopes to raise awareness, as well as funds for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. She even represented the hospitals by singing the National Anthem at the 2017 Miss America Pageant. Hale also performed at the US Open in 2015. Hale posted about her experience with the US Open and Miss America on Facebook, writing:
Hello Everyone! It has been such an honor to participate in the Miss America pageant this year in Atlantic City, New Jersey and I can’t wait to see who will be crowned the new Miss America!!! I want to take a moment to look back and share with you all a very special performance of mine from last year.
On this day last year, September 11, 2015 I had the great opportunity of performing “America the Beautiful” at the US Open Men’s Semi-Finals match between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. It is hard to describe how amazing it was to perform this touching song in New York City in front of 16,000 people in Arthur Ashe Stadium, but I can tell you that I will never forget this moment as long as I live!!
Have a look at Hale’s journey from the hospital to where she is today in the below video.
On AGT, Hale’s dad James revealed that:
Five years ago, we never imagined that she would be here today. When Angelica was 4 years old, she started coughing and having fever. We brought her to the emergency room and that’s when we found out that she had double pneumonia and her kidney stopped working.
Angelica Hale spent 80 days in the hospital and 6 weeks at the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) when she was ill.
Hale was the recipient of a golden buzzer this season when guest judge Chris Hardwick was overjoyed with her performance.