After capturing the hearts of the “America’s Got Talent” judges and gaining millions of new fans across the country, the whirlwind journey of the Leo Catholic High School choir has come to an end.
Though they were among the top four finalists, the all-boys choir fell short of the votes needed to win the $1 million grand prize. As they waited to hear their fate, the crowd cheered loudly for them, screaming “Leo! Leo! Leo!”
“We’re so grateful for this opportunity,” said choir director LaDonna Hill. “We want to say thank you to AGT. Thank you to every educator, every parent.”
Judge Simon Cowell had a message for the young men before they departed the stage: “You are going to inspire so many people, and I really mean that. I’m so proud of what you’ve achieved. You have an amazing talent. You have an amazing mentor, and it has been on honor.”
The choir’s journey to the finals has put Auburn Gresham, the neighborhood where the school has been located for nearly a century, on the national map.
The winner of season 20 of “America’s Got Talent,” determined by audience vote, was Jessica Sanchez. When she was 10 years old, Sanchez blew judges away with her singing on the very first season of the show. Now 30, she dominated this year’s competition while pregnant with her first child.
The news came more than 24 hours after the 10 remaining acts performed in Tuesday night’s finals episode. The choir performed “Hall of Fame” by The Script in their final bid for the grand prize.
At the live results show, the choir shined through a bonus performance with Aloe Blacc on his 2013 single “The Man.” Later, they joined fellow “America’s Got Talent” and Black country singer Steve Ray Ladson on his original song, “Boots Like Mine.”
The choir’s devastating loss comes after several weeks of impressing the judges, including Simon Cowell. “I think this act might be the act that has progressed the most,” he told the boys after their semifinals performance last week. “I just really, really, really, really like you,” Cowell added.
Led by now-retired and beloved choir director LaDonna Hill, the boys’ reality TV saga began in March when they flew during spring break to California to audition for the panel of judges, which included Cowell, Sofía Vergara, Mel B and Howie Mandel.
But they had to keep the opportunity a secret until a much-later broadcast of “America’s Got Talent.” The audition, which aired on NBC on June 10, impressed the judges, who unanimously sent the boys to the next round. Their high-energy, choreography-filled performance of “Born For This” by The Score brought the audience to its feet.
Six months later, the boys have improved their stage presence, learning new choreography and singing skills with the help of the show’s production team.
At the quarterfinals, the choir covered Imagine Dragons’ “Believer.” Last week, in their semifinals push, the choir put their spin on “Centuries” by Chicago pop-punk band Fall Out Boy.
Hill retired from Leo Catholic earlier this year after 25 years. But, she has stuck around to support the all-boys choir through the entire experience.
She’s been “like a second mom” to the boys, the young men said.
Many of them had no formal music education before joining the choir, but Hill welcomed each boy with open arms. There are no auditions for the Leo choir — any interested student may join.
They did it while juggling back-and-forth trips to California from Chicago and virtual schooling, too. Hill, choir manager Yolanda Sandifer-Horton and Principal Dr. Shaka Rawls accompanied the boys in California each time.
Supporters all across Chicago tuned in to the boys’ televised performances. Watch parties were a staple.
One Chicago celebrity sent the choir a special message on Monday.
“I know y’all are from Chicago,” said rapper Common in a video posted to the high school’s Facebook page. “We got something in us that’s special, and I know y’all are looking to take it to the next level.”
The Chicago Bears also left the boys a message of congratulations in an Instagram post Tuesday night.
“Chicago’s behind you,” said Bears safety Kevin Byard III in a video posted to the football team’s page. “And the Bears are rooting for you.”
Steven Jackson, a 17-year-old Leo senior, said the national exposure has been a “big platform to essentially change a narrative that not only Black and brown people get, but also [that] the entire city of Chicago gets.”
“There’s more to us than just what people may have heard or seen in the news,” he said.