America’s Got Talent saw an unexpected Australian flavour added to an audition episode this week, when Astrid Jorgensen – the creator of the Brisbane-born Pub Choir concept – appeared on the show. Showcasing the format to judges Simon Cowell, Melanie B, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara, Jorgensen explained beforehand that she conducts “the biggest choir in the world” before bringing out guitarist Sahara Beck to lead the entire audience in a choral rendition of Toto‘s 80s hit ‘Africa’.
“Be brave,” Jorgensen said to the crowd. “You are the act.” The judges, however, responded in a mixed way to the impromptu choir performance. “I loved it,” said Mandel. “I think that the world loves a sing-along.” Vergara, however, said that while it was a “cute moment,” Pub Choir was “not for AGT.” Melanie B agreed with Vergara, adding: “It’s not their audition, it’s your audition.”
Cowell, however, sided with Mandel in positively praising Jorgensen’s conducting. “I think it was really smart,” he said. “Within about 20 seconds, every single person in this room was singing the song. To have the capacity to do that within seconds, and actually allow the audience to win the show, is brilliant.” Ultimately, Jorgensen made it through the auditions thanks to three yeses (Cowell, Mandel and Vergara) to Melanie B’s no. The full audition can be viewed below.
Pub Choir On America’s Got Talent
At the time of writing, Jorgensens’ AGT audtion has been viewed over one million times on YouTube and over three-and-a-half million times on the official America’s Got Talent Instagram page. Pub Choir is currently on tour through North America, with a further three shows to go in Boston, Denver and Honolulu. Jorgensen will then take Pub Choir to Singapore, Tokyo, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, London and Brighton throughout the month of August. A homecoming Australian tour, meanwhile, is set to be announced in the coming weeks.
Since launching in 2017, Pub Choir has become one of Australia’s most popular live acts. Jorgensen, who began Pub Choir in Brisbane, has often invited the original artists to sing a song of theirs with the choir – including Ben Lee, Killing Heidi‘s Ella Hooper, The Cat Empire‘s Felix Riebl, Tim Freedman of The Whitlams, Lior, Meg Mac, Mama Kin and Tania Doko of Bachelor Girl.
Further Reading
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Killing Heidi Announce 2025 ‘Reflector’ 25th Anniversary Tour
Bachelor Girl To Play 25th Anniversary ‘Waiting For The Day’ Shows In Mid-2025
