Irish singer Stephanie Rainey receives unanimous yes votes on America’s Got Talent

Irish singer-songwriter Stephanie Rainey received a standing ovation from the audience at her audition on Tuesday evening America’s Got TalentShe also received four yes votes from the jury.

The singer from Cork sang an emotional version of her song “Please Don’t Go”, which she wrote about her younger nephew Fionn, who died of meningitis before his first birthday.

Before she sang the song, judge Sofía Vergara asked Rainey about her musical background and asked if she had ever participated in a singing competition such as American Idol.

“I would say my career has been a rollercoaster ride,” Rainey replied.

“This song I’m about to play had a big moment in the past. We made it in a tiny room and uploaded it on a Monday morning, and by the end of the day it had a million views.”

She explained that she signed a record deal after the song was released, but “probably didn’t know exactly who I was when I signed the contract.”

“The road from then to now has been tough. It’s a tough industry; you have to be resilient. You have to be ready to get back up. And here I am.”

Judge Simon Cowell then asked Rainey what the song she was about to perform was about.

“I wrote it about the loss of my nephew when I was a teenager. He was about to turn one, and it was the day before his first birthday when he died. It took me a long time to write a song about it,” she replied.

“Honestly, I was about to give up on music and I wanted to create something for myself that I believed in; this song means more to me than I can describe.”

“Good for you for doing that and not giving up,” Cowell replied. “I know how difficult the music business is. There are so many great people who give up and that’s why a platform like this is still so important.”

“So, look, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for you,” he added before the Irish singer began her performance.

Her performance was enthusiastically received by the audience and the jury alike and was rewarded with a standing ovation.

Vergara was moved to tears and said it was “such a beautiful, emotional song.”

“Very few performances move people, and this was one of the most relatable and emotional moments we’ve had in season 19, so thank you very much,” judge Howie Mandel said of the singer’s performance.

Judge Heidi Klum joined her fellow judges in saying that Rainey’s voice sounded fantastic on stage and that it was “just a very special moment.”

Cowell summed up the judges’ praise. “Of all the new songs I’ve heard this year, this is by far the best. Even though it’s about something really sad, it’s real,” he said.

“And your voice is beautiful. This song will resonate with a lot of people. I just love it.”

After all four judges voted “yes” for Rainey, Cowell said, “I’m going to give you about 4,000 yeses,” before joining Rainey on stage and telling her, “That was what I call a moment. The song is so beautiful,” and thanking her for the performance.

Rainey wrote “Please Don’t Go” nearly a decade ago, in 2015. Since its release, the single has garnered 5 million views worldwide on YouTube and Facebook. The track has over 8 million Spotify streams as of September 2023 and 40 million total views on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

The Cork singer-songwriter revisited the song earlier this month with “Please Don’t Go Steph’s Version,” bringing a new perspective to her emotional single.

Rainey announced two Irish headliners yesterday and will be taking to the stage this year on November 14th at Vicar Street and on December 18th at Cork City Hall.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 28th, at 10am. Tickets for Dublin are available here, tickets for Cork are available here.

Check out Rainey’s performance below: