“We’re not just a town with a tragedy,” said Ava Swiss before her audition on America’s Got Talent on July 26. “I wanted to show them what our community is really like. Things do get better with hope, love, and support.”
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The 18-year-old singer, a survivor of the 2021 Oxford school shooting in Michigan on Nov. 30, 2021, which resulted in the death of four of Swiss’ and her brother’s classmates and seven injured people, including a teacher, wanted to share how music can heal with her powerful rendition of Lauren Daigle’s 2018 ballad “Remember.”
Before her performance, NBC put up a disclaimer reading: “The next audition was recorded prior to the recent string of tragic mass shootings across the country. Our hearts go out to all the families and everyone impacted by gun violence.”
When judge Simon Cowell asked Swiss how she was coping just months after the tragic event, the teen said, “It’s been hard. Swiss added, “I remember my brother and I, we were talking to each other and we said, ‘There’s no way we’re ever stepping foot back in the school,’ but we’ve actually been in person in the school for about two months now, so things are getting better.”
The singer added, “When I sing it I remember the good, my community my family just the love and I remember that’s it all there for me. And it will help get to where I need to be.”
Singing through the powerful lyrics—In the darkest hour, when I cannot breathe / Fear is on my chest, the weight of the world on me / Everything is crashing down, everything I had known / When I wonder if I’m all alone—Swiss had the audience and judges at attention and received a standing ovation from the entire room following her moving performance.
“In life, it’s tough to show up, especially after going through incredible trauma,” said Howie Mandel. “The fact that you can break through that, and shine the way you did today, is so inspirational for every human being.”
Sofía Vergara told Swiss that her performance gave her goosebumps and took her breath away, while Cowell closed with some high praise for the singer.
“I think you are gutsy,” said Cowell. “For me, this is one of those auditions I’ll never forget. I really have so much respect for you, and on top of that, you’ve got a great voice. You’re really somebody who I’m so happy to have met.”
Photo: Trae Patton / NBC
