Can we get a Hallelujah for local talent?
Anna Wilson, a 21-year-old Gaithersburg native, took to the national stage on “America’s Got Talent,” which aired July 15 on NBC. She graduated from Gaithersburg High School in 2022 and continued her musical journey at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
The singer-songwriter auditioned after her mother secretly signed her up; Wilson believed that she was attending a taping of “America’s Got Talent” until her mom walked on stage to introduce her.
After an hour of preparation, Wilson began to sing Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.” She was barely into the third verse when AGT judge Simon Cowell stopped her and requested she sing something different: “I think that song is a bit boring.”
So Wilson went with her second choice, belting out Maren Morris’ country single “My Church” to the panel of celebrity judges — Cowell, Mel B, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel — and a live audience of about 3,000.
“I know it’s nerve-wracking to be stopped in the middle of a song, but usually when [Cowell] does it, it’s because he knows there’s potential, and you definitely, definitely have potential,” Vergara told Wilson after her performance.
“You have a beautiful voice and this is a great audition,” Mandel added.
“I think most people put in your position would’ve just ran,” Cowell said. “That you were willing to take the challenge, it showed that you’ve got guts.”
Wilson received three yeses from Mandel, Vergara and Cowell, sending her on to season 20 of AGT.
In a July 14 Instagram post, Wilson expressed gratitude for the love and support she said she’s received from family, friends and the community.
“I’ve dreamed of becoming a singer ever since I was a little girl,” Wilson wrote. “I remember being six years old, watching ‘American Idol.’ I’ve imagined what it would be like to audition in front of Simon Cowell and to actually audition with him right there in front of me was the most surreal feeling of my life.”
In the Instagram post, Wilson thanked her mother and God for this opportunity.
“I’m her biggest fan,” Kerry Bankert, Wilson’s mother, said in an Instagram comment. “She’s been wanting this since she was a little girl and has been working so hard. I hope she gets another bite of the apple and gets to choose her own songs and do this on her terms. Her voice is my favorite sound in the whole world.”
AGT isn’t Wilson’s first foray onto the stage. She has performed at restaurants, wineries and festivals in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since the age of 12, including at The Fillmore Silver Spring, according to her website.
She is available for booking to provide live entertainment for events in the D.C. area and offers the option for customized set lists.
In the weeks following the airing of her episode, Wilson will perform live in Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg, North Bethesda’s Pike District and Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard in Dickerson.
For more information or to listen to Anna Wilson’s original music, visit annawilsonmusic.com.
