But it was his first time, I believe, being moved by it the way I do it. Never give up on this dream.” I could tell my producer, it wasn't the first time he had heard spoken-word. I gave her a hug afterwards and said, “Hey, I didn't make it my first year, so keep trying. She did this really sweet poem about her relationship with Jesus. I didn't know her, but she was a beautiful young Black girl, probably around 15 or 16. There was another poet who was trying out with me. Were you the first poet that producers had seen? But America's Got Talent was a place that said, “Hey, we'll welcome you if you're good.” And fortunately for me, I was good enough to make the show the second time around. There's really no other place to find a mainstream home. Dancers have World of Dance and all these other places. Singers can go to The Voice, as well as America's Got Talent. What made you decide to audition for America's Got Talent ? It's either love or pain, one of the two. Or you could say it started in college after the passing of one of my best friends - me getting the opportunity to have an outlet to share that type of pain. You could either say it started in middle school with girls who were cute, and that's how I first started writing poetry. NBC Insider : How did you discover spoken-word poetry?īrandon Leake, AGT Season 15 winner : The journey started one of two ways. His new book of poems, Unraveling, came out in March 2022, showcasing his singular artistry yet again.īelow, NBC Insider chats with Leake about his experience on AGT, where he writes his best poems, and more. Now, Leake is a poetry maven who tours the country. But instead of giving up, he went back to the drawing board, honed his craft, and tried again three years later stronger than ever. Leake actually didn't make it to the AGT stage when he first auditioned back in 2017.

Unraveling book brandon leake