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In 2021, a nine years old girl walked onto the stage to audition for one of the coveted spots on the sixteenth season of “America’s Got Talent” (“AGT”). One thing stood out about her from the moment she uttered her first words to the judges – her confidence. While her nerves were showing slightly, she had an easy conversation with the judges, even throwing friendly jibes at Simon for wearing outfits in the same dull colors, and promising to buy him a colorful shirt with her winnings. When she started singing, everyone was in shock. The camera shifted to Simon, who had his mouth opened wide in awe and disbelief at the strength of the nine-year-old’s voice and how easily she switched between notes.

By the time she finished her audition set, three judges were on their feet. The air in the room changed into an apprehensive mood when Simon called the judges and host Terry Crews to a huddle at the judge’s table. The audience and the little girl found out the reason for the huddle when a historic moment happened. All four judges and the host pressed the Golden Buzzer together, sending her to the live shows and ensuring that her name was etched into the memories of every member of the live audience, the television audience, and every person who would watch the moment on YouTube later. From then on, the name Victory Brinker is mentioned among the most talented and promising musical prodigies in the world. Here is how Victory’s life has changed since that historic moment.

Victory Brinker

Victory is no ordinary girl – the young girl from Pittsburgh is one of America’s budding child musical prodigies, making a name for herself in opera, a rare genre for a child who is barely 11 years old. Knowing Victory’s birth year makes her achievements appear even more impressive. She was born on 4 February 2012, and adopted into the Brinker family as a newborn – her parents doted on and loved her from the moment they chose her. Her mother, particularly, recognized Victory’s love for music, and started to nurture her talent early on. Victory’s passion for music started as soon as she could talk. By the time she was two, Victory could sing entire songs without missing a word or note. A year later, she could sing along to every song in her favorite albums. When she was four, she confidently performed at her church. When she mustered confidence, pitch, notes, and transformations between notes, she was ready to take over the world.

When Victory was six, she asked to watch performances of singers who could hit the highest notes; her mother showed her opera singers, and Victory fell in love. Within a few days of learning about Opera, Victory knew all the words to Gounod’s “Ave Maria”, and was ready for her first talent competition – naturally, she won. In that same year, Victory entered 13 talent shows and won all but one. Her winning streak took her all over the US, performing alongside headliners at festivals, at private events for veteran fans of opera music, and opened several sporting events, such as an NBA play-off game and a baseball game for the Pittsburgh Pirates by performing the national anthem. The whole time, she was preparing for the biggest talent competition.

Victory began her preparations for “AGT” long before she auditioned for the show. She started to manifest her successful debut in the competition by cosplaying as a contestant, asking her parents to play the judges, and singing to them. She would have three buzzers beforehand, one being the golden buzzer she hoped to get when she entered the competition. In 2021, Victory stopped dreaming of her moment in the “AGT” spotlight and went for it.

“AGT” Highlights

After making history during her audition through her performance of “Juliet’s Waltz,” Victory validated the monumental decision and show of faith by Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel and Terry Crews by wowing the audience every time she took the stage. Her second performance in the show was in the quarter-finals, choosing “Casta Diva,” a good decision since the song complimented her vocal range and allowed her to hit high notes effortlessly, transition between different notes smoothly, and hold the audience in a trance throughout the performance. This time, Simon joined his fellow judges in giving Victory a well-deserved standing ovation; naturally, the judges sent her to the semifinals.

Before the semi-finals, Victory’s journey in the talent competition hit another highlight, when she teamed up with the 2011 winners of “AGT”, The Pentatonix, in a daring performance of Celine Dion’s “The Prayer.” The beautiful performance emboldened the nine year old to push herself further for the semi-finals, which she did by choosing “Nessun Dorma” for her performance. The budding opera singer proved the versatility of her voice, and once again showed off her smooth transitions. For a third time in the show, she had all four judges on their feet clapping at the end of her performance.

Victory’s last performance in the show was a bold and hauntingly beautiful rendition of the classic “O Mio Babbino Caro.” She had the audience and judges in awe, taking them in a constant cycle of holding their breath as she hit the high notes, and clapping in disbelief when she released them. Her voice was the only sound in the room as she sang the last set of notes before coming to a sudden stop. Her performance had the judges and audience giving her the standing ovation that had become the guaranteed ending to all her performances. Unfortunately, the performance didn’t secure Victory a spot among the final five contestants, finishing among the top 10 but in the bottom five. As she bid goodbye to the show that had made her a household name in the US and beyond, one thing was certain – Victory Brinker was headed for great things in the music and entertainment industry.

The Princess in an @AGT Fairytale! Thankful for all who have loved, encouraged and voted for me! #agt pic.twitter.com/77SCoxlJ8F

— Victory Brinker (@brinker_victory) September 15, 2021

Performances

After shining all through to the finals, Victory had her calendar booked full, or at least as full as possible for an 11-year-old who has to balance music and school. She started her rounds in Greensburg with a performance at the Palace Theatre, before proceeding to perform Christmas favorites at various Christmas festivals. In 2022, she was one of the entertainers at Sister Accord, and a few months later, she entertained fellow opera lovers at AMAHL & The Night Visitors. The following day, she went back to the Palace Theater for the second year in a row, entertaining guests at the Christmas concert. In January 2023, Victory performed at the “Color the World” gala.

Guinness World Record

In 2022, Victory received an honor that only a handful of people all over the world can boast of – she was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records, becoming the youngest female opera singer in the world. She achieved the historic feat after staging several performances at the Lights and Legends show at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, which gave her the status of a professional opera singer, and allowed her to be considered for the title. Her impressive voice, which rises easily to three octaves, eliminated any doubt of her status as an opera singer.

The performances and Victory’s unique and powerful voice earned her an invitation to Milan, Italy, for the performance that had her crowned the youngest female opera singer. The title, together with her impressive sting at :AGT”, her impressive ability to sing in eight languages, and her stage presence, which usually has her audience’s eyes trained on her every time she performs, have opened more doors for the musical prodigy.

Now and the Future

In 2021, as she soaked in the outcome of her successful yet anticlimactic stint at AGT, Victory released an extended playlist entitled “The Wonder of Christmas”, which consisted of her renditions of popular Christmas classics “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night”, and opera classics “Ave Maria” and “Pia Jesu.” She timed the release of the EP to align with the Christmas season, earning herself invites to perform at multiple Christmas concerts that year, and establishing herself as a regular performer, who was invited to perform at the concerts last year.

At just 11 years, Victory hit milestones that some veteran opera singers only dream of. Since she is still in school and has to balance her career and her education, Victory hasn’t released another album. She keeps her love for opera music alive by training her voice, staging the occasional performance at an event or concert, and learning how to sing in different languages. So far, Victory can sing in English, German, Korean, French, Latin, Ukrainian and Spanish.

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