The final eleven acts of America's Got Talent Season 17 have officially delivered their last performances, and the verdict of who gets that $1 million and Las Vegas stage show prize is in the hands of the voters. The finale saw the long-awaited return of country singer Drake Milligan, who wowed the judges and the voters back in the first week of qualifiers with his second original song of the season. For the finale, however, Milligan went back to the first original that he performed for his AGT audition. Speaking with CinemaBlend, he explained why he didn't change to a new song.
Milligan sang his way to the finale back in August with "Kiss Goodbye All Night," but his first AGT outing was "Sounds Like Something I'd Do." Fans might have expected him to continue the trend and deliver another original song, but he instead went for another performance of "Sounds Like Something I'd Do." (You can revisit the first with a Peacock subscription.) Following his time on stage in the finale, he spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets. When I asked why he'd chosen that song to bring back vs. "Kiss Goodbye All Night" and whether there were ever any alternates, he shared:
There were. I mean, I've got a record coming out this week, on the 15th, and there's a ton of new songs on there, and we were looking at songs to do but after that live performance, doing 'Kiss Goodbye All Night,' having that staging and having the energy and the lights and the pyro and everything. It's so much fun and I feel like it elevates a song so much that I didn't get a chance to do that with 'Sounds Like Something I'd Do' in the audition and so I really wanted to give that song a chance to shine.
While AGT viewers had already seen "Sounds Like Something I'd Do," it was during Drake Milligan's audition, when it was pretty much just him and his band on stage for the pre-taped broadcast. The qualifiers were live, and it was definitely more over-the-top in the best way. He nailed "Kiss Goodbye All Night" so well that Simon Cowell congratulated him on not quitting AGT (and Milligan explained why he made that choice); going back to the audition song for the finale gave him the opportunity to go much bigger and much bolder.
It was actually somewhat similar to what NBC did earlier this year with American Song Contest, which saw singers returning to elevate their same one song over and over. The America's Got Talent judges certainly didn't hold it against Drake Milligan, as both Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel commended him for bringing "Sounds Like Something I'd Do" back for a second round. In case you missed it (or just want to experience it all over again), take a look!
If you want to see Drake Milligan win the top prize of $1 million and the Las Vegas stage show, you can help by voting for him via the official America's Got Talent app and/or the NBC.com voting page. Although he was definitely one of the standouts of the night, the competition was extremely stiff in the finale. No fewer than four golden buzzer winners were back: saxophonist Avery Dixon (who was the first to get a golden buzzer in Season 17), dance group Mayyas, sassy singing trio Chapel Hart, and 14-year-old Polish powerhouse Sara James, who was Simon Cowell's pick.
Plus, ventriloquist Celia Munoz didn't hold back after AGT viewers gave her the votes she needed to return, and her latest performance was a far cry from her Grease tribute... not in a bad way! Pole dancer Kristy Sellars started out the night with an incredible number, which she had to put together over the course of a week after trying a new trick for last Tuesday's live show.
See which performer takes the top prize with the finale results show of America's Got Talent Season 17 on Wednesday, September 14 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, and be sure to cast your votes ASAP, as voting closes at 7 a.m. ET.
