America’s Got Talent finale: Evie Clair performs ‘What a Wonderful World’ after father’s death
Tonight, Evie took the stage for the first time since the death of her father less than two weeks ago to give a performance of the classic “What a Wonderful World.” While we’ve been somewhat cynical of the show over the years for their reliance on some various emotional stories, we do think that Clair’s performance here was a reminder that sometimes, there’s no real reason to be cynical unless you are just being insensitive for the sake of doing so. This was powerful, moving, and a performance that we’re going to remember for quite some time. Our heart broke for her throughout this; it was a song about loss, but somehow also still seeing the joy in the world and trying to move forward. We give her all of the credit in the world for coming out and doing this.
As for how the show handled this, we do think that they did as good of a job as they could. It’s a sensitive topic because they don’t want to exploit her and her story for ratings, but it’s also incredibly insensitive for them to ignore it. In the end, the show probably handled this in about as well as they could have, as it felt more like they allowed Evie to control the narrative more so than forcing her into anything. It was simple, emotional, and a perfect way to commemorate her father.
Do we think this performance impacts the way the audience votes? It’s a question that, understandably in a competition format, you have to ask. We do think that it will get her more of a spotlight, but at the same time we do think there are voters out there who will pick their favorite act regardless of anything else. If they loved Evie the first time around, odds are that they will continue to love and want to vote for her tonight even more so. She wants to be judged on her performance and not her story, and that’s the way it should be.
What did you think about Evie’s performance on America’s Got Talent Tuesday night? Share in the comments below. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Clair’s family and loved ones during what has to be a difficult time. (Photo: NBC.)