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America's Got Talent is known for assembling the best artists from all over the world, who often bring tears to the eyes of the viewers. This is because of the touching stories that back their acts. One such performance took the stage in season 19 episode 7 that aired on July 16, 2024. It was by a police officer named Mervin Mayo, who sang the cover of an Ed Sheeran song.
The audience on set got emotional as they saw a rugged police officer singing a soft romantic track titled Thinking Out Loud. His soulful cover got him four nods from all the judges - Heidi, Simon, Howie, and Sofia.
Mervin Mayo performs Thinking Out Loud in America's Got Talent season 19 episode 7
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Mervin Mayo walked up to the stage on episode 7, dressed in his police uniform. Simon revealed that they had met earlier, but didn't say where. Mervin said he hailed from Richmond, Virginia and worked as a police officer there. Simon then asked him to tell them more about himself and why he decided to come to America's Got Talent. Officer Mayo replied:
"I grew up in a housing project in Richmond, Virginia and there was a program called The Police Athletic League. Officer named Curtis Simmons kinda took me under his wing cuz I was a little mischievous growing up."
Mayo credited the said officer for keeping him safe and out of misery. He added that Officer Simmons was the reason he was alive and thanked him for his efforts.
Mayo also shared that he saw more murders as a child than he did as a police officer. He added that it was the reason why he wanted to work with at-risk youth. He said that he had been doing that for 17 years, garnering claps and hoots from the audience as well as the judges.
As for why he came to America's Got Talent, Officer Mayo said that despite thinking about singing for years, he never went through with it. However, his wife convinced him to take it up.
He sang Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud which left the audience in disbelief at first and then emotional. He chose to play the piano as he sang, making it a soulful cover. The audience cheered him aloud and gave him a standing ovation just as he finished his performance. All four judges stood up too.
After his performance, he asked his wife how it was, and she responded with a flying kiss from the wings of the stage. This prompted Heidi to ask him to invite her on the stage. Mayo introduced his wife Michelle to them, saying that she was the Director of School Counselling at Richmond Public Schools and that they both worked in schools.
Michelle gushed that his performance was "amazing" and that she was very proud of him. America's Got Talent judge Howie stated that they were "great people" because they kept America safe. He added that he would love to see them again.
Heidi said that Mervin's performance felt "right at home" and that she felt the love. Sofia complimented their pairing and called them "super romantic" and added that she thought people were going to like them.
Simon called his performance sincere and praised his voice. He then asked the other three judges for their votes, and they all said yes, which made Simon say:
"That means you got four yeses."
New episodes of America's Got Talent season 19 air every Tuesday, at 8 pm ET, on NBC.
