LDS 13-year-old Evie Clair’s latest performance on America’s Got Talent was deeply touching once again. She chose to sing “I Try” by Macy Gray, and her delivery of the song struck an emotional chord with each of the judges. She missed maybe one or two notes, but they were only noticeable for trained ears. (I had to watch the video several times to catch them.) A couple of the judges pointed out that they could tell she went off key for a moment, but her performance was so moving that they all gave her positive feedback, even Simon. Howie Mandel spoke for everyone when he said, “I don’t think you can ask any more of a performer than to move your heart, and I feel moved. It was beautiful.”
Even Macy Gray, whose song Evie had chosen, tweeted positive feedback about her performance:
evie kills it!!https://t.co/ClXOMdLtV7
— Macy Gray (@MacyGraysLife) July 25, 2017
You may have already seen Evie Clair’s first audition on America’s Got Talent, which went viral because of how impactful it was. In her first audition, she revealed that her father had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer a year ago and was given a 5 percent chance to live. She dedicated the song she chose, “Arms” by Christina Perri, to her father. Her performance blew everyone away, including the judges, all of whom admitted to being deeply impacted by Evie and her voice.
In a recent video, Evie reveals that since her first audition for America’s Got Talent, her family discovered that her father’s chemotherapy treatments over the past year had not been effective, and so he has chosen to go off the treatments. Evie and her family don’t know what will happen next. In her second audition, it’s evident that Evie is feeling a little downhearted. Despite her emotions, however, she was still able to give a stunning performance.
According to an article by LDS Living, Evie’s father, Amos Abplanalp, is an LDS bishop who works for one of the five prisons in Evie’s hometown, Florence, Arizona, as a psychological counselor. Evie has been inspired by her father’s perseverance and faith as he continues working at the prison to support their family in addition to serving as a bishop for their church.
To stay updated on Evie’s story, you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or check out her website, EvieClair.com. She also created a video last year as a tribute to her dad, which you can view on her YouTube channel.
