'America's Got Talent': Archie Williams Gets Emotional With 'Flying Without Wings' Tribute to Daughter

Archie Williams
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The semifinals kicked off on Tuesday, and Williams was among the top performers of the night.

America's Got Talent's semifinals are here! Tuesday night kicked off with the first 11 acts competing to go on to the finals. However, once again, Archie Williams touched audiences' hearts with an emotional performance of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings," which he dedicated to his daughter.

The singer, who served more than 36 years in a maximum security prison for a crime he did not commit, got teary-eyed as he belted out the powerful lyrics. Following his performance, Heidi Klum expressed that she sees so many acts and "most of the time I can forget about their stories and just focus on the acts, and I always try with you, and I always fail."

"I just can't because I always have to think more about you than the act and just kind of go into my own little world when I hear you sing," she continued. "And it's a beautiful voice, a beautiful tone. I hear your story, I hear all the layers in your voice, and I wish you good luck in this competition. And I hope we see you one more time in the finale."

Sofia Vergara continued by adding, "It's a treat every time you come to this stage. I think, when I hear you, it's not as important, your voice, but it's the connection that you make with the audience. What you make us feel is incredible."

Howie Mandel, on his end, told Williams, "Your imperfection is perfection. Tonight was a great story that you ended with a happy ending, you'll live happily ever after, and we all will."

As for Williams, who was visibly emotional after his performance, when asked how he felt about reconnecting with his family and daughter after prison, he said, "Every day joy, every day, joy. It's the most profoundest experience of my life."

The night was filled with a slew of astonishing and powerful acts. Singing duet Double Dragon kicked off the show and were a favorite for Vergara and Klum -- while Mandel expressed how they might not be a million dollar act. The twins were followed up by Wild Card dance group Dance Town Family who blew the judges away with their versatility, as did singing guitarists duo Broken Roots.

Diabolo duo Spyros Brothers got a heartwarming introduction from their father, Alberto, who spoke about his sons' talents with such praise. The brothers, performing from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, literally ignited their stage with their risk-taking moves -- yet did have a couple mishaps that the judges noticed.

Meanwhile, Thomas Day, who withdrew from the competition last month after testing positive for COVID-19, returned to the AGT stage as a Wild Card to sing Billie Eilish's "When the Party's Over."

Mandel was thoroughly impressed and said Day's performance was, "Well worth it," while Vergara agreed and said that the "girls will go crazy" over him.

Aerialist Alan Silva gave the judges "sweaty palms" with his dynamic moves and acrobatics that included chains. Singer Shaquira McGrath brought her powerful vocal and performed "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, which the judges also loved.

Spoken word poet Brandon Leake received a standing ovation after his emotional and passionate poetry dedicated to his father Tyrone, while drummer Malik Dope brought the energy with multiple percussions and flames!

Vergara's Golden Buzzer gal, singer Roberta Battaglia, concluded the show with a dynamic performance of "What About Us" by Pink and proved that at 10 years old she's a force to be reckoned with. 

ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with Mandel, Klum and Vergara after Tuesday's show, and they shared an update on Simon Cowell, who was absent from the show for the fifth week in a row after getting into an accident that broke his back and required surgery.

"I know that he is on the mend and I still would not count him out for the finale. That's just my thought," Mandel said. "Not a moment goes by on this show where he is not in our hearts and in our thoughts."

"I wish he would call us all the time, he doesn't," Klum shared. "I wish he would call me at the end of the day when he watches me and say, 'Hey, you did a good job or you did not do a good job. You should do more of this and more of that.'"

"Listen," Vergara added. "No news is good news."

Who will make it to the finals in a couple weeks? Stay tuned. America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays and Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.

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