Who is Sarah Ikumu? Britain’s Got Talent 2017 wild card and golden buzzer act who was chosen by the judges to get into the final
SARAH Ikumu's powerful voice shocked the judges on Britain's Got Talent and prompted Simon Cowell to press his first golden buzzer of 2017.
Although she didn't get past her semi-final challenge she was selected by the judges to be the wild card candidate to make it to the finals. Here's the lowdown...
Who is Sarah Ikumu on Britain's Got Talent?
Sarah Ikumu is a 15-year-old aspiring singer from Milton Keynes who is in year 11 and currently studying for her GCSEs.
She currently lives with her mum, who is a carer, and her dad, a HGV driver, both of whom are Kenyan immigrants.
The talented teenager was encouraged to showcase her voice to the world by her pastor father, Alex Gatoto, when he invited her to sing with the church choir at the tender age of five.
And her star has shun brighter and brighter as the aspiring singer went on to compete in local talent competitions including Midlands Teen Star and Milton Keynes Young Musician of the Year.
Was Sarah Ikumu scouted for Britain's Got Talent?
The Sun Online exclusively revealed Sarah was asked to enter the show before auditions began.
A source revealed: “A BGT scout spotted Sarah towards the end of last year, when she was performing at a local event. She was asked to audition on the show.
“She auditioned shortly after, and of course completely blew the producers away. There was no special treatment and she had to audition like every other act from then on.”
Sarah auditioned for the show by singing a rendition of Jennifer Hudson's And I'm Telling You.
Which judge pressed their gold buzzer for Sarah Ikumu on Britain's Got Talent?
Simon Cowell pressed his golden buzzer for Sarah.
Initially he had been sceptical about her singing such a huge song, but he was completely won over as she showed off her soaring vocals.
After slamming his hand against the buzzer, he told her: "Look, Sarah, I've heard this song a lot and it started off really well. I thought 'This girl's great'.
"And then, it's like you became possessed halfway through. It was quite incredible. And for someone of your age to stand on the stage with all these nerves and all this pressure, to absolutely - not just to nail this song, but you made it your song."
The other judges also showered their praise on the 15-year-old, with Alesha Dixon saying the only reason she hadn't pressed the golden buzzer was because she wanted Simon to do so.
She told The Sun Online: "I nearly pressed the buzzer for her. I felt she would be a better fit for Simon. He thinks that I am slow and that he won and I tried to tell him, trust me, if I wanted to press for her but they’re a match made in heaven for each other.”
What other acts has Simon Cowell pressed his golden buzzer for in the past?
The golden buzzer was introduced in series 8 (2014), so the judges have each pressed their buzzer three times before the current series.
All of Simon's golden buzzer acts have reached the final, and two of those were singing acts.
- In 2014 the music mogul chose Bars and Melody as his golden buzzer act, who manged to finish third place in the competition. They ended up signing a £500,000 record deal with Syco and released their debut album 143 in 2015.
- In 2015, singer Calum Scott wowed Simon enough in the auditions to get him to send him straight through to the live shows. Since then he has released his own cover of Dancing on My Own, which became the most downloaded song of the summer in 2016. He then went on to release single Transformar with Brazilian artist Ivete Sangalo as the official theme of the 2016 Paralympics.
- Last year Simon pressed his buzzer for Boogie Storm, a Stormtrooper dance act, who ended up bagging third place in the competition. They were snapped up by Syco Entertainment after the show.
When is the Britain’s Got Talent final?
The live final is being broadcast tonight (Saturday 3 June), starting at 7.30pm on ITV and lasting until roughly 10pm.
It is up against Doctor Who on BBC One, The Lake Distrct: A Wild Year on BBC Two, Britain’s Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson on Channel 4, as well as NCIS on Channel 5.
Which acts made it through to the Britain’s Got Talent final?
Finalists
- DNA, 43/29, Magicians
- Kyle Tomlinson, 15, Singer (David’s golden buzzer act)
- Matt Edwards, 34, Magician (Ant & Dec’s golden buzzer act)
- Issy Simpson, 8, Magician
- Ned Woodman, 8, Comedian
- Tokio Myers, 32, Pianist
- Merseygirls, 14-17, Dancers (Alesha’s golden buzzer act)
- The Pensionalities, 84/75, Singers
- Daliso Chaponda, 37, Comedian (Amanda’s golden buzzer act)
- Missing People Choir, 32-71, Choir
- Sarah Ikumu, 15, singer