Three Chattanooga singers who aced their televised audition for “America’s Got Talent” in June will return to the stage Tuesday night for the first live show of the season.
Their trio, CitiLimitz, is among 44 quarterfinalists who will compete in live shows over the next six weeks, with public voting propelling acts to the next round of competition. The winning act receives a $1 million grand prize.
The vocal group features twins A.T. and Marion, 20, and their first cousin, Dre, 21, who auditioned for the talent show after going viral on TikTok. Their following grew after they dedicated a song to Ellen DeGeneres and were invited to appear on her talk show in 2019.
(READ MORE: R&B trio CitiLimitz from Chattanooga to appear on ‘America’s Got Talent’)
In a previous interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, A.T. said they were raised as brothers by Dre’s dad in a house of 12 siblings and have been singing together all their lives. The men grew up in the East Lake area of Chattanooga and attended school at Tyner Academy.
Though now based in Atlanta, they wore custom varsity jackets with the “423” area code on the right sleeve and “Chatt” on the left for their “AGT” audition. They sang the pop ballad “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo, earning enthusiastic cheers from the live audience and unanimous “yes” votes from celebrity judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell.
Their vision is to be “one of the biggest groups in the world,” A.T. said in response to a question from Cowell. “Like, we want to be up there with them big names.”
“Good for you,” Cowell told them. “I really mean that.”
A video of the appearance is available on YouTube.
In press material for the show, producers have noted the trio’s “smooth vocals, soulful harmonies and deep brotherhood.” The singers cite legends such as Prince, Stevie Wonder and New Edition as influences for their sound, a blend of classic soul with an urban edge.
Eleven acts will be featured in each quarterfinal show, set to air over the next four Tuesday nights. The results of each night’s voting will air the next evening. The judges can send one act per round straight to the finals with a live golden buzzer (one per judge), leaving the remaining 10 acts to compete for public votes at the end of each episode. The three acts with the highest number of votes in each show will move forward to the semifinal round on Sept. 16, with results revealed the next night. The final round and finale results are scheduled to air Sept. 23-24.
(READ MORE: Former Lee University student wins ‘America’s Got Talent’)
To vote, fans will need to go to NBC.com/AGTvote to register, or they can download either the AGT App or the NBC App to their phone. An email address is required to register. Fans can vote for a favorite act up to 10 times.
“America’s Got Talent” airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on NBC and the next day on Peacock. Voting opens when the live show starts each Tuesday night and ends at 7 the next morning.
— Compiled by Lisa Denton