With the America’s Got Talent: All-Stars season 1 finale just one week away, Tom Ball is bringing his A-game to U.S. television.
The 24-year-old British music school teacher first shocked viewers in late January, when he vied for a spot in the live shows. Tom came in swinging, performing a rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s iconic song “The Sound of Silence.” While he surprised everyone with his impressive vocal range, it was judge Simon Cowell who had the most to say. What’s more, he told the competitor how much he reminded him of a certain English superstar with roots in reality TV.
“You’re like Susan Boyle‘s grandson,” Simon told Tom shortly before he received a Group Golden Buzzer. “What you do is not what we expect. For me, this is the best performance I’ve seen all series.”
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While American viewers may be unfamiliar with Tom, he made a name for himself back in April 2022 in the U.K. As a season 15 contestant on Britain’s Got Talent, he made quite an impression on Simon and fellow judges Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon with his audition of Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On the Wall.”
During his tenure on BGT, he tallied up votes with tracks like Tom Jones’ “I (Who Have Nothing)” and Conchita Wurst’s “Rise Like a Phoenix.” It was his BGT fandom that ultimately secured him a stop in the finale when he won the public vote. Despite this, he ended up finishing in third place. But his passion for singing only grew from there.
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He later expanded his music teaching skills to folks around the globe when he created the online music school Tom Ball’s Rising Stars, dedicated to “giving everyone an opportunity to develop their musical skills.”
Though he pursued a teaching career, he discovered his love of singing at a young age when his mom picked him up from school and the two sang to a Les Miserables song. Tom’s website details that he grew up singing and performing in local theatre groups, beginning at the age of seven.
He later hinted on BGT that he used to perform at pubs and after two years of not doing so, he was ready to go back out there and step on the world’s biggest stage.
Though he’s hoping to take the win home this time around, he has continued to thank his wife for her support. As fans may know, Hannah has been part of Tom’s onscreen singing journey.
According to his Instagram, the two started dating in March 2017 before he popped the question two years later in December 2019. Fast forward, Tom and Hannah got married in October 2022 and she’s kept cheering him on from the sidelines.
Last spring, Hannah posted a heartwarming tribute to Tom in honor of their five year anniversary. In her caption, she shared that during their time together, the couple earned college degrees, landed full time jobs, bought a house and traveled alongside each other.
Now, that Tom has made it to the top 11 in AGT: All Stars, both Hannah and his high school students at Burgess Hill Academy in West Sussex, England, are showing their support more than ever. As he said at the start of AGT: All Stars, he’s determined to be the best of the best.
“Being here is my second chance,” he shared before his latest audition. “I want to win this.”
Editorial Assistant
As the entertainment and news editorial assistant for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.