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GOLDEN GIRL
Britain’s Got Talent golden buzzer act Sarah Ikumu was scouted out and ASKED to audition for the competition by show bosses
BRITAIN’S Got Talent’s first golden buzzer act was scouted out and ASKED to audition by show bosses, after impressing them months before finding fame on the ITV competition.
Sarah Ikumu, 15, wowed the judges with her rendition of Jennifer Hudson’s And I Am Telling You, before winning Simon’s golden buzzer in the first live show.
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But now the Sun Online can exclusively reveal she’s no stranger to the limelight, and was asked to enter the show before auditions began.
Sarah competed in national singing competition Teen Star in 2015, before continuing to perform at events and bashes.
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."
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The source added: "Simon Cowell had no idea who Sarah was when she first stepped on stage, the scouts worked completely separately, and he was unaware of her and her history."
Meanwhile, a BGT spokesperson said: "As the only show of its kind in the country, we want to showcase the best talent around and therefore, we travel the length and breadth of the country to find the best talent and make them aware of the show and auditions.
"We do then encourage acts to apply but any such acts will be required to audition on the same basis as any other applicant and normal programme rules apply. All acts are judged on their performance during their audition."
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The talented teenager's parents encouraged her to sing in the church choir and enter local talent competitions.
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According to , Sarah was first 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.
The 16-year-old from Milton Keynes went on to win the talent show held at her school, Hazel Academy, last year which is called "H Factor".
Sarah is now in Year 11 at and currently studying for her GCSE's but has been sure to set up her own souncloud page and official Facebook account as she pursues her singing career.
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She will surely be making sure she has practised enough to make an equally big impression at the live semi-finals in a few weeks time.
Music mogul Cowell brought an unexpected end to the first round of auditions on Saturday by giving the coveted Golden Buzzer to Sarah on the first episode of the new series.
The teen wowed audiences with her show-stopping rendition of And I Am Telling You on Saturday night's show.
Cowell seemed cynical as she walked shyly onto the stage in a beige jumper and jeans, while her parents and sister watched from the crowd.
Both he and the waiting audience looked far from optimistic as he described the track as one of the "biggest songs in the world".
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But her flawless performance of the emotional epic brought the auditorium at London's Palladium theatre to its feet as Cowell hit the button to automatically propel her to the competition's semi-final.
"I have heard that song a lot," he said.
"I thought it started great and then it's like you became possessed halfway through, it was quite incredible."
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