Who Won ‘America’s Got Talent’ Last Year and Where Are They Now?
America’s Got Talent will reveal the winner of the 2021 competition tonight (September 15) after the final 10 acts gave the performance of their lives last night. The voting lines are now closed, and the winning act will take home a $1 million prize. But who won America’s Got Talent last year and where are they now? Newsweek has everything you need to know.
Who Won AGT 2020?
Poet Brandon Leake was crowned the winner of America’s Got Talent 2020.
Leake blew the audiences and judges away every week with his spoken word act, becoming the first spoken word poet to appear on the show.
From the beginning, it was clear Leake was one to watch, especially after he won the Golden Buzzer Award in the first round from judge Howie Mandel.
His stand-out performances include pieces about his sister who died, his father, daughter, and Black Lives Matter.
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What the Winner of ‘America’s Got Talent’ 2021 Actually Wins
What the Winner of ‘America’s Got Talent’ 2021 Actually Wins
He was the only act in the final not to perform alongside a guest. Other acts performed alongside One Republic, Blake Shelton and JP Saxe & Julia Michaels, to name a few.
In second place was singing guitarist duo Broken Roots and in third was singer Cristina Rae.
After winning the show, Leake said: “This is a huge win for the spoken-word community. For an art form that has not been on the mainstream ever to have a chance to win America’s Got Talent is bigger than anything. I am going to show the world what a spoken-word poet can do.”
Leake not only took home the $1 million cash prize, he also won a brand new Kia Stinger and the opportunity to perform at Luxor Las Vegas.
The Vegas headlining slot is usually a three-day residency but a date is yet to be confirmed.
Where is Brandon Leake now?
Since winning America’s Got Talent, Leake has continued to perform his poetry.
He has a new album on the way titled LEVEL, which is set for release on September 25. It is available to pre-order now.
Sadly, his headline show in Vegas has been delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but his spot is still secure and fans can expect him to perform very soon.
Speaking to Recordnet about the delay, Leake said: “I’m kind of happy that it got delayed a bit just because I got a chance to revel in the victory with my family in a way that if I had to immediately jump into the fire I wouldn’t have had time to…sit back, relax and be with those who I love.”
After winning, Leake left his high-school teaching and college job to spend more time with his family and further his spoken word poetry career. However, he has continued to hold poetry workshops for aspiring artists.
In October 2020, Leake became the producing partner and contributor to the Team Harmony Foundation’s new international web series, HATE: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
He has also been busy at home raising his young daughter, Aaliyah James Leake, who was born shortly before his first audition.
In early March 2021, Leake and his wife Anna Leake announced they were soon to be parents to a baby boy.
America’s Got Talent Final 2021 airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Brandon Leake was crowned the winner of America’s Got Talent 2020.
Chris Haston/NBC
