10-year-old singer, Roberta Battaglia stunned her favorite judge, Sofia Vergara, during her 15th season America’s Got Talent audition. This audition has become legendary for myriad reasons: Roberta’s cute, fangirling personality soaked with nerves gave way to a masterful performance of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” hit, “Shallow” — leaving judges in awe of her unexpectedly mature voice.
Taking to the stage wracked with anxiety, Roberta’s first words to the judges were a high-pitched stream of consciousness to Sofia, “I love you, I watch you on Modern Family, I adore you,” to which Sofia replied, smiling and giggling, “Thank you so much! I’m so happy that you’re here, you look nervous!”
After Roberta revealed her roots in Toronto, Canada, judge Howie Mandell stood abruptly, arms outstretched and let out a wild “Woooo!” so raw in his passion that Roberta nearly broke down in nervous tears, leading the judges to glance worriedly at each other and the young star before them. Even Roberta’s mother watched the whole ordeal in tears from the sidelines.
The acoustic riff of Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” filled the room, and from Roberta’s first vocal line, Simon raised his eyebrows, surprised by the mature serenity of her voice. He even leaned over to Sofia mid-performance and said, “Just shut your eyes for a moment and listen to her.”
Roberta’s rendition was flawless; a trilling vibrato like Dolly Parton or Stevie Nicks toned her voice with old-school allure, making it impossible to believe this pitch-perfect performance came from a 10-year-old!
After a flood of post-performance tears and a standing ovation from all four judges, Roberta received A-star critiques, crowned by her idol Sofia slamming the Golden Buzzer after hearing about Roberta’s struggles with bullying. Simon even offered some golden advice to the young singer: “There’s one way you win over bullies. It’s by being happy and successful.” Roberta’s audition tape has nearly 5M views to date!
Roberta landed in 4th place in the 15th season final of AGT. Since appearing on the show, Roberta starred in the 2022 Canadian mystery series, “Three Pines,” releasing her debut single, “Truce” that same year.
Roberta, a second-generation Italian Canadian citizen, first discovered her love for music when she began singing at just three years old. Alongside her father, Alessandro Battaglia, the two have studded many performances from local do’s to notable charity events. She’s received the 1st runner-up prize at CNE Rising Star, performed her AGT song choice on Toronto’s Breakfast Television, and sung the American and Canadian national anthems for the Toronto Blue Jays.