2 min read

Isaac Atkins is a Golden Buzzer winner.

Auditioning for “America’s Got Talent” Tuesday night, the 24-year-old Lewiston native took no time at all to impress former Spice Girl Mel B.

At the end of Atkins’ performance of the Four Seasons’ song “Beggin,” Mel B stood decisively at the judges’ table.

“Before anybody else does this,” she said, “I’m going to do it.”

She then smashed the legendary Golden Buzzer, which automatically advanced Atkins to the next round — no votes from the other judges needed.

Isaac Atkins, of Lewiston, stands in a rain of golden confetti after advancing on “America’s Got Talent.” The episode aired Tuesday. (Chris Haston/NBC photo)

And as is customary for Golden Buzzer moments, a rain of golden confetti showered down on Atkins.

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Clearly stunned, Atkins stepped back on the stage, smiling, and watched the confetti fall around him.

“Enjoy this moment,” said Mel B, approaching and hugging Atkins. “It’s all yours.”

Still smiling, Atkins reached down and plucked up a piece of the shimmering confetti.

“Oh, my gosh, it feels amazing,” Atkins said after judge Simon Cowell asked for his thoughts. “I was not expecting it.”

From the start of his performance, it was clear that Atkins was a hit with the judges. One of them, actress and model Sofia Vergara, referred to his voice as “sexy” even before Atkins started singing.

Later, after the big moment, Atkins admitted that he was nervous throughout the performance and what followed.

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When he went to speak to show host Terry Crews, Atkins realized just how rattled he was.

“I was shaking like crazy,” Atkins said. “It didn’t feel like a real thing that was happening, but it was. It was all very new to me.”

With the the Golden Buzzer behind him now, Atkins advances to the live rounds of “America’s Got Talent.”

“Go celebrate,” Mel B told him before Atkins left the stage.

The Lewiston High School graduate is an Army sergeant on active duty in Wahiawa, Hawaii. 

Known on TikTok as the “Singing Soldier,” he has an audience of more than 86,000 followers and 7.2 million likes on his singing videos since he began posting on the platform in 2024.

He went viral last year after posting a video of himself singing “Sparks” by Coldplay at a karaoke bar in the Philippines.

Atkins will be flying back out to California to take part in the live performances in August. Season 21 officially kicks off Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 8 p.m. on NBC, with live performances airing every Tuesday and the results being shown Wednesday night.

Mark LaFlamme is a Sun Journal reporter and weekly columnist. He's been on the nighttime police beat since 1994, which is just grand because he doesn't like getting out of bed before noon. Mark is the...

Matthew is a staff writer for the Lewiston Sun Journal covering the Lewiston and Auburn areas. Before joining the Sun Journal, Matthew covered news in the Bangor area before moving to Lewiston to cover...

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