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Anna Wilson went into a taping of America\u2019s Got Talent thinking that she was just there as a fan \u2014 but really, she was mere moments away from auditioning, thanks to her mom.<\/p>\n
On the Tuesday (July 15) episode of the competition series, the 21-year-old Marylander looks stunned as she sees her mother, Carrie, walk out on stage in front of judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Mel B and Sofia Vergara. Anna\u2019s initial shock quickly turns to anxiety, however, when Carrie explains that she isn\u2019t the one auditioning, as she\u2019d signed up her daughter instead. <\/p>\n
More from Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n As Anna starts to cry, all four judges look equally surprised. \u201cI\u2019d be so mad at my mom,\u201d Mel B says, with Vergara agreeing, \u201cI would kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n After talking a bit with Anna, who joins her mom on stage, Cowell gives her about an hour to prepare a song. When she returns, the aspiring singer reveals that she\u2019ll be performing Adele\u2019s version of Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cMake You Feel My Love\u201d because \u201cI always dedicate it to my mom, so I thought it was a full-circle moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Even so \u2014 and despite Anna\u2019s deep vibrato sounding lovely on the ballad \u2014 Cowell quickly cuts her off mid-song. \u201cAnna, I hate to do this,\u201d he tells her. \u201cI think that song is a bit boring.\u201d<\/p>\n Rising to the occasion, the contestant then pulls out a second track: Maren Morris\u2019 \u201cMy Church.\u201d The energy in the room palpably increases as Anna belts out the lyrics and adds her own flair to some of the notes, earning applause and cheers from the crowd.<\/p>\n Afterward, Cowell is clearly impressed. \u201cI think most people put in your position would\u2019ve just ran, but you were willing to take the challenge,\u201d he says to Anna, who looks nervous but stoic. \u201cIt showed that you\u2019ve got guts, and I really, really like you.\u201d<\/p>\n Mandel and Vergara agree. All of the judges except for Mel B, who declared that she just wasn\u2019t \u201cfeeling it,\u201d end up passing Anna on to the next round, where, hopefully, she\u2019ll have more time to prepare before her next performance. <\/p>\n On Instagram<\/a>, Anna gushed about the experience. \u201cI\u2019ve dreamed of becoming a singer ever since I was a little girl,\u201d she wrote Monday (July 14). \u201cI\u2019ve imagined what it would be like to audition in front of Simon Cowell, and to actually audition with him right there in front of me was the most surreal feeling of my life. I want to thank my mom, because without you, this experience would have never been possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Anna\u2019s performance marks just the latest impromptu audition of AGT season 20, which kicked off in late May. A week prior, Cowell cut off a hopeful<\/a> named Bellina to ask her granddaughter, Lilliana \u2014 who was accompanying her grandmother on guitar \u2014 to sing instead.<\/p>\n America\u2019s Got Talent airs Tuesdays on NBC and streams on Peacock. Watch Anna\u2019s audition above.<\/p>\n Best of Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n