Toronto's Roberta Battaglia nailed it on 'America's Got Talent'

Torontosun.com
June 4, 2020

This star was born in Toronto.

Ten-year-year-old Roberta Battaglia displayed her depth and talent on Tuesday night when she sang the Oscar-winning theme song, Shallow, from A Star is Born on NBC’s  America’s Got Talent.

What a performance.

She had all of the energy of Lady Gaga, who performs the song, and hit the high notes, too. It was very exciting to see.

All four judges — Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and fellow Torontonian Howie Mandel — were on their feet. There was also a standing ovation from the crowd.

It was an emotional moment for Roberta and her mom, Gabriella, and dad, Alessandro. As fun as it was seeing the pure joy on the fifth grader’s face, it was also special to see the reaction of her

After receiving a glass of water to calm her down, Roberta stepped up and delivered the performance of the year on the popular show.

It was such an impressive effort that Vergara pressed the Golden Buzzer which means Battaglia goes straight to the final round in Hollywood later this year.

“Such a mature voice,” said Vergara.

Mandel talked about her “unbelievable talent.”

Known for keeping it real for performers by providing straight talk in his assessment, Cowell seemed overwhelmed by the Toronto kid, calling her “likable” and “humble.”

When he talked about how popular she must be, she stunned the audience by replying she has “sometimes” found herself “bullied.”

Cowell may not be known for his sentimental side, but showed true compassion by telling Roberta “bullies are always threatened by talented people so in a weird way, it’s a compliment.”

Jealousy is the toughest part of being famous and successful and it’s unimaginable how hard that would be to handle as a child. The best way to silence your critics and is to leave them behind and head for the big time — which is what Roberta showed she’s capable of doing.

It was all a dream come true for Roberta who has been wowing Toronto-area audiences since she was just three — singing on stage with her musician dad, at festivals and at weddings all over the GTA.

It was also a nice moment for me since I first saw her sing at a FordFest in Vaughan with Premier Doug Ford last summer when she was just nine. I heard this powerful voice hitting all the notes but I couldn’t see who it was.

She was such an attraction that a crowd formed in front of the stage, obscuring my view.

It was actually legendary restauranteur George Bigliardi — who has hosted Frank Sinatra, Gordon Lightfoot, Tony Bennett and Alicia Keys at his steakhouse — who came running over to tell me to take her picture.

Ford was smiling ear to ear, too.

“I just knew she was going to be a star the second I heard her sing,” Ford said on Wednesday. “She is an amazing talent. Her voice is absolutely incredible. We are cheering her on all the way.”

We all knew she was a female version of Justin Bieber in the making. My first thought was she should go on America’s Got Talent to show what she could do.

She doesn’t forget where she came from, either. Great kid. Old soul.

When she got the audition, she emailed me in early May.

“You called it … and I did it,” said Roberta. “I auditioned for AGT. I’m so excited!”

And now she has blown away the judges on that show.

Just like with other stars I have seen before they enjoyed success — Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, The Glorious Sons and July Talk — this kid from Toronto was born to sing.