Tom Sandoval is venturing into the dazzling limelight. The veteran of "Vanderpump Rules" and frontman of his band, Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras, advanced to the quarterfinals of "America's Got Talent" with a mesmerizing cover of The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" during the August 19th episode of the NBC competition. While judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, and Sofía Vergara applauded Tom for his electric energy, Simon Cowell found the overall performance lacking, hitting the buzzer midway through and informing the lead singer, "I'm afraid that didn't sound good."
Tom's response to the critique? "Just before I took the stage, my in-ear monitors went haywire," he explained, referring to the audio devices. "I was essentially navigating in the dark." Despite this, Tom insisted he wasn't using it as an excuse for his wobbly performance, even when Mel B called him out on it. "I had a blast," he stated succinctly.
Making his "AGT" debut in June with a captivating cover of A-ha's "Take on Me," Tom earned raves from the judges. Mel B gushed that Tom's unique rendition of the 1985 classic "gave me happy vibes." "You made me smile," the former Spice Girl told him. "And aside from that song being one of my favorites, you all looked like you were having the time of your lives."
Indeed, as Tom later revealed, there was a reason behind his choice of "Take on Me." "That was a challenging one because we have a vast repertoire," he shared with E! News. "A-ha's 'Take on Me' is a song whose music video I've always adored. I never imagined I'd be able to sing that song or hit those notes." But after rigorous training with vocal coaches, Tom added, "I can sing now, and it's been an incredible feeling of accomplishment to perform it."
As for his decision to audition for "AGT," Tom said, "I thought to myself, 'This is a prime opportunity to showcase the band and get us out there.'" He added that he wanted to give back to his bandmates for supporting him through the 2023 Scandoval cheating scandal. "It was definitely daunting, but also thrilling, and I'm overjoyed I did it."
