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[Spoiler Alert: This contains spoilers from America’s Got Talent, Season 19, Episode 4.]
America’s Got Talent‘s Season 19 search for a winning act continues as the auditions carry on at NBC, and with the latest installment came the introduction of Irish singer, Stephanie Rainey.
The performer earned a standing ovation for her audition, earning a spot in the next round after receiving a yes from all of the judges including Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum. Moved to tears by her musical performance, Vergara wasn’t the only judge to get emotional from Rainey’s song as Cowell took time to go onstage to tell the hopeful, “That was what I call a moment. That song is so beautiful, thank you so much for coming over.”
Moments before he went onstage, Cowell had told Rainey from his chair, “Of all the new songs I’ve heard this year, this is the best by a mile and even though it’s about something really sad, it’s real and your voice is beautiful. A lot of people are going to resonate with that song and you. I absolutely love this.” The song in question was “Please Don’t Go,” a tune which she revealed had garnered several views upon its release years earlier, but that her career hadn’t quite gone as planned. Below, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about this America’s Got Talent competitor who is one to watch this season.
Where Is Stephanie Rainey From?
Trae Patton/NBC
Introducing herself as a singer from Ireland, Rainey is from Cork, which is along the southern coast of Ireland. Cork is the third-largest city in all of Ireland next to Dublin and Belfast.
How Long Has Stephanie Rainey Been Performing?
Currently 36, according to her audition introduction, Rainey revealed on stage that she began performing in a professional capacity around the age of 18, but had never taken part in a competition series like America’s Got Talent until now. “I’ve had a very kind of rollercoaster career I would say,” Rainey told the judges during her introduction. Noting that after the success of her original song “Please Don’t Go” took off in Ireland, “I signed a deal after the song came out. I think I probably didn’t fully know who I was back when I signed that deal. The journey from then until now has been hard. It’s a tough industry, you know. You have to be resilient and I think sometimes when the downs come, you have to be willing to pick yourself back up. So here I am.”
How Popular Is Stephanie Rainey?
Despite being a new performer to American audiences, Rainey isn’t exactly unknown in Ireland or online as she currently has over 85,000 followers on Instagram and more than 14,000 subscribers on YouTube. Still, with songs as good as “Please Don’t Go” under her belt, America’s Got Talent could take her to the next level as that single tune has more than two million views online.
“It’s tough in Ireland to kind of break out and to be able to take risks but I have this one song that I really really want to get to as many people as possible,” Rainey had explained on stage upon making her introduction to the judges. Despite her nerves, Rainey easily won the judges and viewers over.
What Is the Story Behind “Please Don’t Go”?
As Rainey explained, the tune was inspired by the loss of her young nephew. “I wrote it about losing my nephew when I was a teenager. He was about to turn one, it was the day before his first birthday and he passed away,” Rainey told the judges. “It took me a long time to write about it. Honestly, I was about to give up music, so I was like, I wanna make something for me that I believe in. So this song means more to me than I can actually even describe.”
Rainey saw a resurgence in the song’s popularity when she began posting it on TikTok and sharing it on other social media in recent years, but hopes to bring it even further with the America’s Got Talent performance.
Who Supports Stephanie Rainey?
When the judges asked Rainey who she would be playing with on the stage, she explained it was her best friend Sarah. “She’s here with me today, and she’s been on every single step of this journey with me from the very beginning.” Rainey’s friend is Sarah Power, an Irish composer and pianist.
What Happened to Stephanie Rainey’s Nephew?
In a video on her Instagram account, Rainey explained that her young nephew died from meningitis, which is when the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord become inflamed from an infection. Meningitis can be caused by various bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites and must be treated by medical professionals.
Is Stephanie Rainey Still a Signed Artist?
As mentioned above, Rainey revealed she signed a deal following the initial success of “Please Don’t Go,” but ultimately, her record label in the U.K. dropped her in 2017. She’s since been operating as an independent artist.
America’s Got Talent, Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC