“He’s Susan Boyle’s grandson?!” Simon Cowell’s jaw dropped as he roared with glee, dubbing 23-year-old secondary school teacher Tom Ball the heir to Susan Boyle’s legacy after his earth-shattering performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s 1964 classic “The Sound of Silence” on Britain’s Got Talent 2022! The unassuming West Sussex native’s haunting, velvety vocals stunned 4,000 at the London Palladium, freezing the room before unleashing a thunderous ovation. X erupted with 2M views, fans raving, “Tom’s a vocal beast!” (@TalentShock25). With Simon declaring it “the best performance of the series,” is Tom destined to eclipse his supposed nan’s stardom?
Tom Ball was a 23-year-old secondary school teacher in West Sussex, England, when he went on Britain’s Got Talent. He dreamed of being a singer but didn’t tell anyone at the school where he teaches that he was auditioning–because he didn’t want to disappoint them in case he didn’t do well.
But he did well, very well, making it all the way to the finals. And in the interim became something of a hero at his school, showing the kids it was important to follow your dreams.
But since he didn’t win, Tom was eligible to compete in the 2023 season of America’s Got Talent, which is an “all-stars” competition: everyone there has done well in a previous version of one of the Got Talent franchise shows.
Tom chooses to sing Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence,” which we have all watched on video many times. That makes it a bit of a risk because there are some versions, like the one by Disturbed, that have become iconic. But Tom’s risky move pays off in spades as the entire audience, especially the judges, loves the performance. Watch the full video below and please leave us a Facebook comment to let us know what you thought!
