Kodi Lee

Kodi Taehyun Lee (born July 7, 1996) is a Korean-American singer-songwriter and pianist. He rose to fame after participating in and winning the 14th season of the reality competition show America's Got Talent.

Kodi Lee
Born	(1996-07-07) July 7, 1996 Utah, U.S.
Occupation	Singer-songwriter and pianist
Home town	Utah,U.S.[1]
Musical career
Years active	2019–present
Website	https://www.kodileerocks.com/

In 2019, Lee auditioned for the fourteenth season of America's Got Talent and within two weeks, the video had over 50 million views on the internet.[2] At the end of the season, he was declared the winner.[3]

He was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, causing him to become legally blind. He was also diagnosed with autism at an early age and has Addison's disease.[4] It is claimed on his website that he has perfect pitch.[5]

America's Got Talent

On May 28, 2019, Kodi Lee auditioned for America's Got Talent performing Donny Hathaway's "A Song For You". Judges Gabrielle Union, Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell and Julianne Hough gave him a standing ovation at the end of the performance. Union pressed the golden buzzer for him sending him straight through to the live shows of the program.[6] At the quarterfinals, Lee performed Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" again to a standing ovation and advanced to the semifinals. For the semifinals, Lee performed "You Are the Reason" by Calum Scott. During the results, he was announced as one of the ten finalists for the season. In the finals, he performed "Lost Without You" by Freya Ridings. In the finale that aired on September 18, 2019, he performed "You Are the Reason" again but with special guest Leona Lewis. At the end of the program, Lee was announced as the winner of season 14 having received the most votes.[7]

References

1. "Disabled boy a musical genius".
2. Gandhi, Lakshimi (June 5, 2019). "Why Kodi Lee's 'America's Got Talent' audition still has people talking". NBC News. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
3. "KODI LEE WINS AMERICA'S GOT TALENT SEASON 14! - America's Got Talent 2019" – via www.youtube.com.
4. ""I will buy lots of grand pianos in every color," Kodi Lee, blind singer with autism, wins America's Got Talent". KFOR.com. September 19, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
5. Keveney, Bill. "Kodi Lee celebrates his 'AGT' victory: 'Heck, yeah! I'm a winner'". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
6. "Golden Buzzer: Kodi Lee Wows You With A Historical Music Moment! - America's Got Talent 2019" – via www.youtube.com.
7. "And the Winner of America's Got Talent Season 14 Is..." PEOPLE.com.

Preceded by Shin Lim	America's Got Talent winner Season 14 (Summer 2019)	Succeeded by TBD