When 10-year-old Tobi Ayodele walked onto the America’s Got Talent stage, the audience saw a shy, soft-spoken boy in a simple white shirt and black jeans

When 10-year-old Tobi Ayodele walked onto the America’s Got Talent stage, the audience saw a shy, soft-spoken boy in a simple white shirt and black jeans. His small frame and nervous glances didn’t suggest what was about to unfold. But within minutes, the entire auditorium would be on its feet—and Simon Cowell, known for his stone-faced critiques, would be wiping away tears.

Tobi was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, the youngest of five children in a musical family. His mother, a church choir director, recognized his gift early. “He could harmonize before he could write his name,” she often said. Music became Tobi’s escape from the noise and pressure of life in a crowded neighborhood, where power outages were frequent and opportunities rare.