\n\tWhen Mackenzie Sol was just 4 years old, he auditioned for judge Simon Cowell on The X Factor. More than 20 years later, the now-25-year-old TikTok star was back in front of Cowell to try out for America\u2019s Got Talent.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn Tuesday night\u2019s (June 23) episode, Sol transformed sombr<\/a>\u2018s breakout hit \u201cBack to Friends\u201d into a sensual R&B ballad, slowing down the tempo and adding a series of creative vocal runs, putting all the attention on the song\u2019s heartbreaking lyrics. \u201cBack to Friends\u201d was sombr\u2019s first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100<\/a> back in April 2025, eventually peaking at No. 7 in January this year.<\/p>\n \n\tAhead of his performance, Sol was able to tell Cowell about their first encounter more than two decades ago. What he didn\u2019t mention is that in the years since, he\u2019s gone on to amass more than 12 million TikTok<\/a> followers through his combination of comedy and music videos. He also previously auditioned for American Idol<\/a> in 2024, making it to the top 20 of season 22 before he didn\u2019t make the top 14 cut.<\/p>\n \n\tBut he\u2019ll be moving forward in AGT<\/a>: Following the sombr cover, Cowell asked fellow judge Mel B of Spice Girls fame to share her thoughts, and she immediately went for the Golden Buzzer, automatically advancing Sol to the live shows.<\/p>\n \n\tBelow, watch Sol\u2019s full audition:<\/p>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n