Ahead of Valentine’s Day, “America’s Got Talent” Season 14 winner Kodi Lee has opened up about his favorite love song.
‘AGT’ winner Kodi Lee shares his favorite love song
Lee, who recently returned to the show to compete on “AGT: All-Stars” — which he has a really good shot at winning — told the Deseret News his favorite love song is Donna Lewis’ 1996 hit “I Love You Always Forever.”
Specifically, Lee pointed to the chorus, which he said reflects his relationship with his mother, Tina Lee.
I love you always forever
Near and far closer together
Everywhere I will be with you
Everything I will do for you
I love you always and forever.
“It’s my favorite love song because my mommy sang that song to me, my whole life, even as a baby!” the 26-year-old singer and pianist told the Deseret News in an email. “It makes me feel loved and secure that my momma will always love me and be there for me.”
Who is Kodi Lee on ‘AGT’?
Lee, who is blind and has autism, auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” in 2019. He struggled to string words together while talking to the judges, but his voice soared as he sat at the piano performing Leon Russell’s “A Song For You.”
The audition has been viewed more than 430 million times and marks the show’s most-viewed viral moment, the Deseret News reported.
“Kodi’s like two different people. When you talk to him and meet him, he can’t really form a complete sentence. He has a hard time,” Tina Lee previously told the Deseret News. “But you see him on stage, he’s a completely different person. And even for me as his mother, I’m like, ‘How is that possible?’”
Tina Lee has spent the past 26 years advocating for her son, who is a “musical prodigious savant” and has an audio photographic memory that allows him to recall a song after just one listen.
Most recently, Kodi Lee returned to “AGT” to compete on “All-Stars,” where he earned the most votes and secured his spot as one of 11 acts in the show’s finale.
Although it had been four years since his run on “AGT,” it was clear he was still a fan favorite. Lee was greeted with a massive standing ovation the minute he took the stage.
“He’s like a rock star,” “AGT” judge Heidi Klum said during the episode, which aired Feb. 6.
After some reminiscing, Lee performed Calum Scott’s “Biblical” and once again received a standing ovation from the show’s judges and audience. The performance even caught the attention of Scott, who said: “That man can make any song he performs like he wrote it himself. Couldn’t be more honoured to have shared a part in his story.”
The success Lee has found through “AGT” — from both his 2019 run and “All-Stars” — has inspired countless fans.
“When Kodi won … I felt like the whole world won because it opened up so many doors,” Tina Lee previously told the Deseret News. “Everything that we fought for and everything that we’ve done for him, it made me just so happy to know that he’s opening doors for all the other parents’ kids.
“He’s shown the world that anything is possible — no matter what,” she continued. “He is the hardest worker that I’ve ever met — ever. When he has a goal, he keeps going, and I have to keep up with him.”
Lee added that she hopes her son’s story will especially resonate with parents who have children with disabilities.
“See what they love to do, and give them the tools,” she said. “Stay strong and keep fighting for the tools they need, for what you know your child is good at and loves to do. You give them what they need, then they’re going to flourish with it.”
When is the ‘AGT: All-Stars’ finale?
Kodi Lee will perform in the “AGT: All-Stars” finale, which airs Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. MST.
The show will reveal the champion on Feb. 27.