ATIKOKAN – The night of Tuesday, July 11, was a big night for Alex Sampson and his hometown.
Atikokan residents flocked to The Grill that night to attend what might be the biggest event of the year in town: a party to see the local singer wow the judges on America’s Got Talent.
“That was so good,” said judge Simon Cowell immediately after Sampson sang “Pretty Baby,” an original ballad with a late 1950s vibe.
The crowd at The Grill cheered as Sampson, 20, received the judges’ unanimous approval and moved on to the next round of the popular NBC competition program.
“It was crazy,” Sampson recalled a week after the watch party.
“You know, practically the whole town came. It was incredible.”
Sampson said he was “very grateful” that the restaurant had turned its premises into a gathering place to share the experience with other Atikokan residents.
“And it was so great to feel the support from my hometown – because no matter what happens, I can always rely on my hometown,” he said in an interview at the Sampson family home.
“Ever since I started making music, they’ve been my rock, and this place has been a rock.”
This moment – the broadcast of his audition and the accompanying on-site celebration – had been many months in the making, he explained.
Sampson auditioned for AGT last fall; her performance on the main stage in front of Cowell and the other judges was taped in March.
According to his father, the young singer’s musical career is already in its infancy.
Darren Sampson said Alex had “always sung”, even as a small child.
“He’s been around for many years,” said Darren. “He’s got a lot of songs in the pipeline that will come out at some point.”
Alex described music as “my passion. It’s not just my job.”
He said music “can take me out of my sadness, even if just for two or three minutes. If I can do that for someone else, that’s great.”
Sampson has been uploading his vocal skills to YouTube for several years and has 3.6 million followers on TikTok, as well as active and popular Instagram and Spotify accounts.
He said “Pretty Baby,” which he wrote and recorded with Montreal-based producer John Nathaniel (who has won awards for his work with OneRepublic and Shawn Mendes), will be included on an upcoming EP.
Season 19 of America’s Got Talent will continue with more auditions next Tuesday, with live qualifiers, which Sampson will eventually compete in, set to begin August 22.
