Kodi Taehyun Lee (born July 7, 1996) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and savant. At 22, he rose to fame on the 14th season of America's Got Talent.

Legally blind and autistic, Kodi Lee rose to fame after being a contestant, and ultimately the winner ^[1] of the 14th season of America's Got Talent. Within weeks of his performance, Lee's audition reached over 300 million views across the internet. ^[2]

Early life

Kodi Lee was born to a Korean father and an Indonesian-American mother, with optic nerve hypoplasia, causing him to become legally blind. He was also diagnosed with autism at an early age, and has Addison's disease. ^{[3] [4]}

Kodi Lee is widely considered to be a musical savant, ^{[5] [6] [7]} a person with a developmental disorder who manifests profound ability and talent. ^[8]

America's Got Talent

Fourteenth Season

On May 28, 2019, Kodi Lee auditioned for America's Got Talent during season 14. He performed Donny Hathaway's " A Song for You". Lee received a standing ovation by all four judges and the audience. At the end of his audition, Gabrielle Union pressed the Golden Buzzer, sending him straight through to the live shows. ^[9]

In the quarterfinals, Lee performed Simon and Garfunkel's " Bridge over Troubled Water," and advanced to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Lee performed " You Are the Reason" by Calum Scott. During the results, he was announced as one of the ten finalists for the season.

In the finals, he performed " Lost Without You" by Freya Ridings.

In the finale that aired on September 18, 2019, he performed "You Are the Reason" again, with special guest Leona Lewis. At the end of the program, Lee was announced the winner of season 14, having received the most votes. He is the first autistic and developmentally disabled person to win the show. ^{[10] [11]}

After the Fourteenth Season

In July 2022, Cowell ranked his favorite Top 15 Golden Buzzer moments in AGT history, on which he placed Lee at 3rd. ^[12]

In August 2022, Kodi Lee performed a duet of " Don't Stop Believin'" with Teddy Swims along with guitarist Neal Schon, the founder of the band Journey, during the AGT Qualifiers 3 Results episode.

In January 2023, Lee and Colin Hay released "Hello World." This song got rave reviews and has been well received. This song is Lee's second original release, preceded by his first, "Miracle."

In 2023, Lee participated in America's Got Talent: All-Stars. He received more votes than season 15 winner Brandon Leake and comedian Josh Blue, advancing him to the finale. In the finale, he finished just outside the top five.

In 2024, Lee participated in America's Got Talent: Fantasy League, initially being mentored by Simon Cowell. However, during the semi-final episode, Lee received Howie Mandel's Golden Buzzer, drafting him to Mandel's team and sending him directly to the finals. Despite this, he did not finish in the final five of the competition. ^[13]

Since January 3, 2024, Kodi Lee has been headlining the America’s Got Talent presents Superstars Live show at the Luxor Theater in the Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. The last show is on May 11, 2024. ^[14]

References