Isaac Atkins, Lewiston’s ‘Singing Soldier,’ prepares for ‘America’s Got Talent’ live shows
Lewiston native Isaac Atkins stands in a rain of golden confetti after advancing on "America's Got Talent." (Chris Haston/NBC photo)
Lewiston’s Isaac Atkins will soon be taking the stage on “America’s Got Talent” as the upcoming season kicks off.
Season 21 of America’s Got Talent begins Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 8 p.m. on NBC, with live performances airing every Tuesday and the results the next night. Which Tuesday he’ll be performing is still up in the air.
On June 16, Atkins performance of the Four Seasons’ song “Beggin” made a very good impression on former Spice Girl Mel B, who pushed Golden Buzzer, which automatically advanced Atkins to the next round without needing votes from any of the other three judges.
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“Enjoy this moment,” said Mel B, approaching and hugging Atkins that night. “It’s all yours.”
Atkins, 24, has quickly risen to fame in Maine, especially in the Lewiston area. Known on TikTok as the “Singing Soldier,” he has seen a spike in his followers, from about 73,000 when he was profiled by the Sun Journal in June to over 114,000 as of July 9.
Atkins is an Army sergeant on active duty in Wahiawa, Hawaii. He began getting serious attention last year after posting a video of himself on TikTok singing Coldplay’s “Sparks” that was recorded by one of his Army friends while at a karaoke bar.
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Isaac’s father, Glen Atkins, of Lewiston, said he and his son have been doing well since the buzzer-beating performance and try to speak to each other when they can, despite their six-hour time difference.
He said he often rewatches his son’s performance and gets emotional every single time.
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“To see him on that stage and to have those memories of singing in the car, when I recorded him singing in the bedroom, it’s magical to see how far he’s come,” Atkins said.
His favorite part of Isaac’s performance?
“It wasn’t the song, it was his preparation,” Atkins said. “He showed who he was, how articulate he was, and how he came across as a seasoned young man.”
Isaac Atkins, known as the “Singing Soldier,” graduated from Lewiston High School and will appear on “America’s Got Talent.” (Courtesy photo)
Glenn Atkins said that before his son chose “Beggin” as the song he would perform for tryouts on the show, Isaac sent him a audio recording of him singing the song.
“I told him that song was for you,” Atkins said. “I liked the rhythm of it, and I knew he’d come through with that. I wanted to see how it came out, and he nailed it.”
Atkins said win or lose, it doesn’t matter the outcome. What matters is the difference he will make on people.
“I know a lot of people are going to do TikTok videos in their cars now because of him,” Atkins said. “It was an extraordinarily proud moment for me and everyone involved. The world saw him for minutes. We saw him grow up doing this his whole life. I couldn’t be any more proud of him.”
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Matthew is a staff writer for the Lewiston Sun Journal covering the Lewiston and Auburn areas. Before joining the Sun Journal, Matthew covered news in the Bangor area before moving to Lewiston to cover. More by Matthew Jaroncyk
