Sometimes you watch something and it stops you in your tracks. That happened to me today when I happened to watch a video that one of my friends had shared on Facebook. I knew from the title that I should prepare to be amazed. On a personal note, I should know better than to underestimate someone based on the first impression. Regardless, when I watched the clip of musician Kodi Lee on America’s Got Talent, I was moved immeasurably. If you haven’t seen this clip yet, please watch it now.
Kodi Lee Wows America’s Got Talent Judges, Audience, and Viewers
Watching the video segment, you see a young man with a cane guided on stage by his mother. When the judges ask him questions he takes an extra beat before he responds. His Mom explains that he is blind and autistic. Then he sits at the piano and the blindness and autism seem to fall away as Kodi digs his fingers into the keyboard and sings with a beautiful voice. But don’t be fooled, he is still blind and he is still autistic. Without these things, perhaps he would not be an entertainer. They are part of him and made him who he is as much as that loving family, who rushes out to join him after he receives the golden buzzer.
This is a Performer New to My Ears
What a lovely, bluesy voice Kodi has to perform “A Song for You,” originally written by Leon Russell. He demonstrates fantastic control over his vocal phrasing on the lyric lines and has a sweet vibrato that nicely finishes the held notes. It is very moving when he pushes into and embellishes the falsetto in the chorus. He takes a nearly 50-year-old song and makes it sound like it was written this year. I had the honor of seeing Leon Russell perform in 2015 and I think he would have been proud to hear this brief rendition of his classic song. I want to hear Kodi sing the full version. Tears streamed from my eyes as I heard his impassioned voice break out of the now still body, the stimming calmed by the effort of musical expression. I want to hear him sing songs by other artists and listen to how his tone wraps around their words. I wonder if he writes his own music and how his voice sounds when he sings original lyrics.
Let’s also take a moment to acknowledge that family, who so clearly love Kodi. Let’s share some appreciation for his Mom, who looks on that stage, like the proudest, most caring parent on this planet. Parenting someone with a disability and a developmental difference can be demanding, but she looks to be the model of grace. We also must give credit to Kodi, for the ambition to move past physical limitations, and the power to follow his grand desires all the way to the America’s Got Talent stage.
I didn’t want to say that he sounds like he would be great singing Stevie Wonder songs because that felt like an obvious statement, but that is what I thought. Then I watched his highlight reel and it opens with “Sir Duke!” Listening to a sampling of his performances, his voice is solid and he does justice to many different types of songs. Check it out below. These are lucky people dancing at his gigs in small rooms, because Kodi is bound to start selling out much bigger venues. I look forward to hearing more from Kodi in the future and can’t wait to celebrate his win on America’s Got Talent! Go Kodi!