Not everyone who gets four yeses from the America’s Got Talent judges makes it through to the Live Shows. In fact, maybe less than half survive the Judges Cuts, so when 20-year-old singer/songwriter Alex Sampson got word that he was going through to the Live Shows, he and his family celebrated.
What made Alex stand out from other singers who auditioned for Season 19 of AGT who didn’t make the cut was his original song, “Pretty Baby,” which took both judges Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell back to another era, the ‘50s or ‘60s.
At that time, Simon said, “If this is the lane you want to go down, I think it’s very smart because you separate yourself from what everybody else is doing. So, I really, really liked this audition.”
As a result, Alex, who had watched Simon as a judge on both The X-Factor and AGT, took the recommendation to heart and when he performs tonight he will be doing another original song that is an homage to that era of music.
“The song I’m singing on Tuesday is in that lane, and I plan to stay in that for my AGT run, as long as it lasts,” Alex told Parade in this exclusive interview. “Just from what Simon and Howie said, that they just love the style, and Simon thinks that if I stay in this lane, that I’ll be very successful and standout. I hope he likes it. I did write it just because they said that. I didn’t have any other songs like that, so I went home after my audition, and I made more.”
One of those songs was unveiled earlier this month when Alex dropped a new single entitled “If You Were My Girl,” which channels ‘50s doowop with breezy harmonies and loose guitar riffs — and could possibly be a sneak peek at what the Canadian singer will be performing tonight.
Only four of the 11 acts who perform tonight will make it through. Three will be voted on by America and make it through to the semifinals and one will be awarded the Live Golden Buzzer and go straight through to the finale, a fact that makes it no less nerve-wracking for Alex, despite it being his second appearance on the AGT stage.
“I do feel more comfortable because I’ve been here already, but also more stressed and nervous because it’s live and there’s so much more production involved, there’s so much more planning involved,” he shared. “Everything has to go perfect because there’s no retakes, there’s no redos, it’s live. So, there’s a lot more stress for sure, but I’m just going to try my best because that’s all I can do.”
If he should be fortunate enough to win, Alex has an idea of how he will spend the $1 million prize and it’s a mix of practical and fun.
“I’m definitely going to pay some bills and some stuff that I need to get done,” he said. “I’ll do the legal stuff first, and then I’ll celebrate. I’m definitely going to Hawaii. I’m going to get a vehicle for sure. I really want a Jeep Wrangler. I’ve been wanting one of those for years. I’m going to pay back my family, pay off some bills, and go to Hawaii for a week because why the heck not?
Also, during our Zoom chat, Alex talked about his path to AGT, his musical influences, his long-term goals and more. See what he had to say below.
Congratulations on making it through the Judges Cuts. How did you find out that you had been chosen and where were you? Is there a little story there?
After I did the audition, which was back in March, I went home and like you said, we didn’t know. I was very optimistic. I got four yeses, and I made it through, but we were still waiting for the confirmation that I made it through to the Lives. It was a long waiting period actually. I think it was beginning of June-ish I got the confirmation that I was through, which was amazing. I wasn’t allowed to share it yet, which was so hard not to do. But yeah, I was at home, I was with my family, and I got the text. We celebrated a little bit.
Talk about your path to AGT. Was it something that you instigated, or did they see videos of you online and approach you?
It was actually back in October when everything started happening, so it’s been a while since this has been in the works. I sent in some videos I just recorded because a producer from the show, her name’s Lindsay, she’s amazing, we love Lindsay, she was like, “I think you’d be a really great pick for America’s Got Talent.” And so, I sent in some videos of me singing, and it was back and forth with the producers for a little bit, and it turned out they wanted me to audition for the show. And so, the process went on for a few months of talking to them back and forth, March came, I did the audition and here we are.
What did you think of Simon’s comment that your song could have been from the ‘50s or ‘60s, and in a Martin Scorsese film of all things? But he also said it’s very authentic.
I felt great, because when I wrote that song, that was really the goal, you know, to take music and the feeling from that Golden Era of ‘60s and the ‘50s with all those amazing artists and capture it into the song but make it modern and authentic in a way. Because we didn’t want to do it and make it feel cheesy, we wanted to do it and make it feel as authentic as possible. It’s very nice hearing that he caught that and that he thinks that way.
Simon has had such success as a music producer, so his input I think would mean a lot to singers that come on AGT. Did you used to watch him when he was on American Idol?
For sure. One Direction’s my favorite band, I love them. And everybody knows who Simon Cowell is. I’ve watched X Factor, I’ve watched America’s Got Talent since I was little, so being in front of him and the other judges is awesome. It was just kind of crazy, it doesn’t feel like I did that. I’ll watch my audition, I’ll be like, “Who is that guy?” It doesn’t even feel like it’s me.
Were your parents an influence? Is that who introduced you to the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s? Talk about how you developed your style.
It actually came out of the blue, that song, but I’m so, so glad that it did. I was in the studio in Montreal, and I was writing with my good friend John [Nathaniel], he’s an amazing producer. We were doing a slow song, and it was actually his idea to make it retro-y, and I was just like, “Yeah, let’s go for it.” So, it was a one-off thing, where we listened to some music from back then and we really got inspired.
Alex Sampson
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC
Of course, music’s always playing throughout my house, my dad, my mom, so I definitely know it, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, all those people that are so amazing. So, we just pulled from that area, and we made “Pretty Baby,” which I personally love ever since I wrote it. It’s one of my favorite songs, and everyone I showed it to was like, “Wow, this is really great.” And then once America’s Got Talent came to us and we found out that I was going on the show, everybody pointed towards “Pretty Baby,” and it was a no-brainer since day one that that’s what I was going to sing.
So, your family background is music, when did you first pick up an instrument? Was it a guitar? How did you decide that that was the path you wanted to follow?
Music’s been in my family for decades. My grandfather was in a band, my dad sang his entire life, I’m singing, so it’s like it’s a thing.
Ever since I was little, music’s just been everywhere throughout my household, and so I’ve always loved it. And I’ve always loved singing, even if I wasn’t good, I’ve always loved singing. The first instrument I really started to pick up was piano, and then I moved over to guitar. I’m more of a guitarist I’d say, nowadays at least. But I love playing with both. I’m still learning, still getting better, but I’d probably say I’m mainly guitar at the moment.
Alex Sampson
Photo credit: Ashley Osborn
What has the fan reaction been since your AGT audition? Your audition probably introduced you to millions more people than had been aware of you previously. And what’s it like to go home, do they treat you different? Not maybe your parents, but maybe in town?
The reaction was beyond anything that I ever expected. AGT, they briefly mentioned how they’ve had success in the past with artists who have released music that they’ve done on the show, and how it’s gone to No. 1, and I was just like, “Yeah right, okay.” But my episode came out and “Pretty Baby” was released by the time the episode aired, and it went up to No. 6 on the iTunes charts. I’ve never had a song on the iTunes charts before, so that was really crazy seeing my name next to all the big artists that I’ve looked up to and listened to for years.
The response was great. I went home and everybody in my town knows each other, and they know of me, and they’ve known what I’ve been doing for the past five years, so I didn’t get treated any differently, but it was a very, very, very warm welcome when I went back home.
What is the long-term dream for your career? Do you want to do big arenas?
Oh, big all the way, absolutely. I want to be the biggest artist that I can be, and I want to continue to push and work for it, and no matter what I have to do to get there, I will do it. Obviously, selling out arenas one day, stadiums, touring across the world, No. 1 hits, No. 1 albums, that’s my dream for sure.
