Minnesota's Debbii Dawson wows judges on 'America's Got Talent'
Is Debbii Dawson on her way to stardom?
You have no idea who she is? That's OK. Here's the nuts and bolts.
Debbii Dawson grew up in Hutchinson. That's the Minnesota connection. And she's got the country buzzing about her voice after she amazed the judges on Tuesday night's episode of "America's Got Talent," putting her own spin on Abba's "Dancing Queen."
On stage with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and microphone, Dawson was told by Simon Cowell that she looks very confident. "Really? I'm so nervous," she said, noting that music isn't just a hobby for her, "it's my legacy."
Cowell then had some fun with Dawson while asking about her parents.
Simon: "Are they here today?"
Debbii: "No, they're not. They couldn't make it."
Simon: "That's not a good sign."
Debbii: "They're in Minnesota."
Simon: "Would you say this is one of the most important nights of your life?"
Debbii: "Yes, definitely."
Simon: "And they're not here."
Dawson then, as Howie Mandel would later say, "blew the roof off the place" with her rendition of the Abba classic. Sophia Vergara said she "wouldn't mind listening to your voice all day long," while Mandel said she has a "star quality" voice. Cowell said "I'm going to remember this audition."
The judges then asked Dawson to call her parents so they could talk to them. Her father answered the call, with Klum asking why he wasn't there in-person.
"She told me not to come," he answered with a laugh.
Dawson graduated from Hutchinson High School – about 60 miles west of Minneapolis – in 2011. Jennifer Telecky, principal at Hutchinson, told Bring Me The News that she remembers hearing Dawson sing.
"She and her sister Sitarah used to sing the National Anthem at sporting events - beautiful singers!" Telecky wrote in an e-mail to Bring Me The News. "There's a lot of talk in the town of Hutch, and definitely pride, regarding Debbii's performance last night."
