22歲自閉癥盲人歌手技驚四座，奪得《美國達人》第14季冠軍 Kodi Lee is the winner of U.S. talent show “America’s Got Talent.” After weeks of competition, Lee has been crowned the champion of season 14. On last Wednesday’s episode, the star bested fellow finalists opera singer Emanne Beasha, violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa, dance troupe Light Balance Kids, singer Benicio Bryant and Ndlovu Youth Choir. In addition to the honor of being the winner, Lee took home US$1 million and will be headlining shows from November 7-10 at Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Lee immediately captivated the audience and judges with his viral audition during which he blew everyone away with his rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.” Gabrielle Union was so impressed that she gifted the 22-year-old singer with her Golden Buzzer. Along with his unforgettable vocal talents, Lee’s life story has made him a fan favorite. The California native was born with optic nerve hypoplasia and diagnosed with autism at age 4. Making Lee even more special is the fact that he’s truly a musical savant. As stated on his official website, he is one of 25 people in the entire world that possess such a keen ability for musical expression, perfect pitch and an audio photographic memory, which means he can recall music after hearing a song just one time. Not only has Lee mastered classical works by Chopin, Bach and Mozart, he can perform rock, pop and R&B. He’s mastered six instruments, and loves to tap dance. “He’s making people believe in something they didn’t even know is attainable. He’s magic,” Union previously told People magazine of Lee. The actress’ Golden Buzzer advanced Lee to the quarterfinals, where he performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which Paul Simon had approved the music rights of after seeing Lee’s audition. Then in the semifinals, Lee brought many to tears with his rendition of Calum Scott’s “You Are the Reason.” For his final bow on the show, he sang Freya Ridings’ “Lost Without You” in the finals. For the finale, Lee performed “You Are the Reason” again, this time alongside Leona Lewis. “I feel relieved I’m not the only one who’s seen this extraordinary ability. He’s got a real talent, and I’ve always known he’s this real talent,” his mother Tina, who accompanied him on stage for the entire competition, recently told People. During the audition rounds, the loving parent explained how her son communicates through music. “We found out that he loved music really early on. He listened and his eyes just went huge, and he started singing, that’s when I was in tears,” Tina said. “I realized he’s an entertainer. Through music and performing, he was able to withstand living in this world because when you’re autistic, it’s really hard to do what everybody else does. Playing music actually has saved his life.” (SD-Agencies) | 