Instagram Ansley Burns
South Carolina’s Ansley Burns has her eye on the prize. The 15-year-old is hoping to be the next “American Idol”, and may have an edge with some reality singing competitions already under her belt.
In 2019, Burns appeared on Season 14 of “America’s Got Talent,” and made it to the semifinals before being eliminated, according to The Greenville News. Now, she’s hoping to use her platform to gain traction on “Idol”.
Here’s what you need to know:
Simon Cowell Made Her Stop Mid-Audition
When Burns performed in front of Simon Cowell on “America’s Got Talent”, she sang “Think” by Aretha Franklin.
Halfway through the song, Cowell stopped Burns because he wanted her to sing without the “horrible” backup track. Burns was clearly nervous but proceeded to sing the song a capella, and all the judges sent her through to the next round.
Speaking to Go Upstate, Burns recalled, “I remember feeling so nervous and scared in that moment Simon stopped my song. My vocal coach always tells me ‘if you mess up just keep going.’ So I knew if I ran off that stage then my chance is blown.”
At the ripe age of 15, Burns is bound to be one of the youngest competitors on “Idol”.
She explained to Go Upstate, “I don’t think 15 is too young. I feel like everybody wants to express themselves, but obviously, everyone has their own opinions on it. You have to do what feels right for you and your family.”
Contestants must be between 15 and 28 if they wish to compete in the singing series, according to this general audition information document.
Burns Has Built a Strong Social Media Following
Burns may be just 15, but she’s already got over 23k followers on Instagram.
Speaking to Go Upstate, Burns’ father, Brad Burns, said, “Social media is such a good platform, but there are challenges with it too. We almost had to take it away when she was on the show because she would just focus on the negative comments. You might have 500 great comments on how good you are but there’s five comments that were negative, and we had to have a talk with her. We told her, ‘she had to ignore it and scroll past all the negative and focus on the positive.’”
The teen singer’s website reveals that she started singing at the age of three, with dreams of becoming a professional recording artist.
Burns won the Best Singer in the State of South Carolina in the Youth Division in 2017, and has won “many other competitions to date,” her website reveals.
During her exit interview from “America’s Got Talent,” seen above, Burns said, “To all of the supporters and to all the viewers of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ thank you guys so much for everything. Thank you for leaving a comment on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. It really means a lot and it makes me really happy. I’ve read all of them, so I’ve seen it!”
Recalling the moment Cowell stopped her mid-performance and offered her his water, Burns added, “My greatest memory from ‘AGT’ is when Simon gave me his water because it was just really cool. When I first walked out on stage it was a little bit terrifying. I was really, really excited though.”
She concluded, “… for anyone who wants to audition for ‘America’s Got Talent,’ go for it,” she tells aspiring contestants sitting at home on their couches. “Do what you love and just have fun because that’s all it’s about. The greatest thing about auditioning for ‘AGT’ was you could do whatever you really want.”