A lady named Gabriella walks on America’s Got Talent stage, introduces herself and tells the audience she is going to play the violin. She begins playing and the camera pans to Simon Cowell who is seemingly unimpressed. He raises his hand above the desk, poised ready to hit his red buzzer. Just before he presses it, Gabriella drops the violin and pulls outs an audition that not only stunned the judges, including Simon, but also went viral online.

Although Gabriella Laberge’s lofty expectations for her America’s Got Talent audition nearly came crashing down at the first hurdle, the French-Canadian singer had high ambitions overall. Laberge played a nice violin part after an uneasy first interview, but it was the same as what you’d hear from any street musician on Main Street. While Simon Cowell readied his red buzzer to fire her, Laberge was planning an ace under her sleeve.

As she performed “Goodbye My Lover” by James Blunt, her soft, soulful voice echoed through the room. In an instant, Cowell withdrew his palm from the red buzzer, and the judges began to warm up to the Montreal musician. By drawing on the folk aspects of the song, Laberge gave the vocal a slight twang and put her own stamp on the popular tune. A standing ovation ensued as she deftly moved into a violin solo during the bridge, ramped up the intensity of the outro, and continued the performance.