America’s Got Talent: Chase Goehring gets DJ Khaled Golden Buzzer

From the start of tonight’s America’s Got Talent Judge Cuts round, DJ Khaled knew what his mission was going to be: Judging the contestants, and finding the right one to give his Golden Buzzer to. That person got a one-way ticket straight through the live shows.

Even before the buzzer was pressed, it was easy to read the mood of the show faithful — they wanted to see it go to someone who wasn’t either a kid or a singer. Other than Light Balance, every other act has fallen into these two categories. Heck, if you consider Darci Lynne a singer more so than a variety act, all of the Golden Buzzers from people other than Tyra Banks are singers.

So who got it tonight? Well … Another singer! Here’s the thing, though. We’re not bitter at all about Chase Goehring getting it, largely because he is so different than the other singers that we’ve seen on the show this season. His bigger talent may actually be as a writer and a creator more so than a vocalist — his singing voice is very good, but his creativity and songwriting are top-notch. This is the sort of stuff that appeals to a guy a Khaled, who has produced quite a number of hits over the years and knows what gets people excited and what gets people to the top of the sales charts. Pretty perfect use of the buzzer, no?

Now, Chase gets a chance to move forward, and Khaled gets a potential future collaborator. We do think that Chase has a legitimate chance of stardom after the show because he’s already giving viewers a window into who he is. We’re not seeing that image skewed because of a song from someone else he is performing or some show edit that can cut out huge parts of the song. That’s something that other people struggle with. He’s real and he’s authentic, and kudos to the editors/producers for allowing him to be just that.

Obviously it’s easy to compare him to a Jason Mraz with his 100-words-a-minute style, but his lyrics are unique his own and both humorous and meaningful. We’re VERY curious to see what he does in the next round, especially since you have to wonder if he’s got some more songs coming up that are equally great to the ones that we’ve seen so far. That’s the problem with doing two great original songs — he’s set the bar super-high for himself, and he’s gotta find a way to match that now.

Take a look at the full performance of Goehring’s “Acapella,” complete with the Golden Buzzer moment, below.

What do you think about DJ Khaled and his Golden Buzzer choice? Is it the right one? Share now in the comments! (Photo: NBC.)

Oh, and you can head over here to read our full review of everyone who performed on AGT tonight.