America’s Got Talent interview: Will Tsai talks magic, his incredible audition
Clearly, there are plenty of people out there who agree. His audition performance to date has been viewed over 43 million times across Facebook and YouTube, and he’s now moving on the Judge Cuts round.
In a new post-audition interview below, Will talks further about his love of magic, his audition, and whether he’s thinking yet about what he wants to do next.
CarterMatt – Where did this love of magic and performing from for you?
Will Tsai – I’ve always been a kid full of curiosity. When I was young I liked to paint or take toys apart to understand how they work, putting them back together in different ways to find out what that’s like. Overall I think it’s the curiosity that brought the magic out of me. I am constantly thinking ‘what if this happens and what if that happens,’ and I can’t wait of find out if I can make it happen.
How long have you been performing, and what is it like for someone starting out in magic trying to make a footprint?
I was never a publicly recognized performer but I’ve always been working in the magic industry; performing, consulting, designing, etc. In my opinion it’s naturally challenging to make a living in art related industry. To make a footprint, one needs to have his/her own style that’s apart from everyone that’s doing similar things. And that’s one of the hardest thing to do.
What was so impressive about your audition more so than anything was the restraint, and how you were able to do so much with so little. What made you feel like that was the right thing to do in a competition that often relies on big, aggressive magic effects?
I didn’t think that deep. To me the show is a challenge to myself. Not so much of a competition because I think it’s hard to put artists from different type of industries to compare. It’s a platform instead with great exposure and a great opportunity to push myself. In terms of what I chose to participate the show with the piece I created, I think magic has nothing to do with the size of the prop. Even the cool visual itself doesn’t matter that much. It’s all about the message behind the magic that I am trying to deliver. Hopefully the audience can walk away with that.
There was a sense of art and beauty about what you did, especially with the rose effect at the end. Is creating that visual beauty almost as important to you as impressing with the magic itself?
I love beautiful visuals. More so, I love the message behind it. The whole performance is a reflection of my philosophy in life. Life is a beautiful yet fragile thing. Most spend their entire life chasing establishment and moments. Most of us forgot to take a moment and enjoy the beauty of life.
At what point do you start thinking about your next performance?
Not yet. The video went viral unexpectedly and triggered a lot of media attention. I have not yet have time to sit down and think about the next performance.
Since the audition aired it’s been watched more than 41 million times online on Facebook (as of writing this). Can you even process that level of attention in such a short amount of time?
It is honestly overwhelming to have received so much attention. But I am glad so many people enjoy my work. And hopefully some will be able to take away some inspiration from it.
Beyond winning, what is the biggest thing you’re hoping to get out of being a part of the show?
Great experience. Great memory. And potential opportunities to work with more resources to create more cool things that I’ve always dreamed to.
More America’s Got Talent news
In addition to viewing Will’s audition below, you can head over here to read more on some of the other America’s Got Talent acts currently going viral. (Photo: NBC.)