Summer Rios, a 19-year-old Pizza Hut manager, wowed the judges on America’s Got Talent (AGT) with an impressive cover of a Zach Bryan hit.
The Brunswick, Ohio native took to the stage and was visibly anxious and full of nerves as she spoke to the AGT judges, which consists of Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofía Vergara, who asked her to share a little about herself.
“I’ve been singing since I was four, but I haven’t really performed [in front of a crowd before]. So trying to make music a thing and try to put myself out there and not have so much anxiety,” Rios told the panel of judges.
Full Time Pizza Hut Manager Turned Singer
She went on to explain that she currently works as a manager at Pizza Hut full time and that she hopes to pursue a career in music.
“I actually am a manager at Pizza Hut, so I make pizzas for a living,” Summer Rios explained, “I’ve been there for about a year. I did work with my ex at one point, but he’s no longer in the picture. So now it’s just me. So I’m working a lot of morning to closes, trying to still pay my bills and stuff, and I’m hoping that this will get me out of pizza. Cutting and pizza making.”
“We all have to start somewhere. Come on we’re rooting for you, come on do it,” Cowell told Rios before her audition.
After the stage crew got her microphone in place and ready to go, Summer Rios took to the microphone for her performance of Zach Bryan’s fan-favorite hit, “Something In The Orange.”
Soars With An Impressive Zach Bryan Cover On America’s Got Talent
The 19-year-old aspiring singer then belted out the lyrics to the popular Zach Bryan tune, which appears on his album, American Heartbreak.
Donning a light blue button-up shirt over a white crop top and blue jeans, Summer Rios allowed her powerhouse vocals to shine vibrantly with her cover of the country hit.
“To you I’m just a man, to me you’re all I am / Where the hell am I supposed to go? / I poisoned myself again / Something in the orange tells me you’re never coming home,” Rios sang on the chorus of the tune.
While the rising star had a lot of nerves prior to her performance that wasn’t the case when she began to sing the Bryan song.
Massive Standing Ovation
Summer Rios was all smiles and in a state of shock after her performance as she earned a massive standing ovation from the capacity crowd and the star-studded panel of AGT judges.
Following her AGT audition, all four of the judges praised her vocal talents and pushed her to pursue music full time.
“You know, Summer, I think you should be doing this more than slicing pizza,” Mandel admitted before stating, “I feel like we’ve just got a peek at what you can do and you needed to open this door a crack, and you’ve opened it more than a crack to just take off.”
Heidi Klum then compared her vocals to “Umbrella” singer Rihanna. “I loved it. To me, you sounded a little bit like you swallowed Rihanna,” Klum shared. “You have a beautiful, beautiful tone in your voice. I think it was absolutely incredible.”
“Your voice is spectacular! You belong on a stage,” Sofía Vergara gushed. “Don’t waste more time. Live your best life. Don’t be scared anymore.”
Summer then earned compliments from Simon Cowell.
“What a great, great choice of song. I think every single person in this room wanted you to do well,” Cowell exclaimed.
Mandel, Klum, Vergara and Cowell then collectively voted and Summer Rios advanced to the next round of the America’s Got Talent competition.
“I’m So Done Cutting Pizzas”
“Woah, dude, this is real!” Rios told AGT host Terry Crews, before he asked, “are you really ready for your life to change Summer?”
She quickly replied, “Oh, I’m so ready! I’m so done with cutting pizzas. I smell like pizza every night, and I don’t want to do that.”
Summer Rios then Facetimed her closest friends and family to let them know “I got four yeses.”
America’s Got Talent airs every Tuesday at 8/7c.
