On Tuesday (Aug. 16), Maddie stepped onto the big stage with all the regalia, pomp and confidence of an artist who’d earned a spot in the final stages of the talent quest.
Maddie wasn’t even born when Steve Winwood released “Higher Love,” a late ’80s solo hit for the former Spencer Davis Group. Not a biggie.The teenager won Howie’ Mandel’s golden buzzer during the auditions of America’s Got Talent, and on Tuesday (Aug. 16), turned to a golden oldie for her semifinals performance.
Maddie, or Madison Taylor Baez to her friends and family, melted hearts during the auditions phase when, aged 11, she nailed “Amazing Grace.”When we heard her backstory, her dad’s fight with cancer, and how she trained her vocal talents by singing to him in hospital, it was Niagara Falls all over the country.
With “Higher Love,” the youngster and her backing performers turned the pop song into something closer to a Sunday service.