Pinoy fisherman earns four 'yes' votes, standing ovation from 'America's Got Talent' judges

Roland Abante will surely be moving forward to the next round after earning four “yes” from America’s Got Talent judges.  

Working as a fisherman in the Philippines, Roland brought his singing talent to the 18th edition of America’s Got Talent (AGT), wowing the judges and the crowd with his performance of When a Man Loves a Woman by Michael Bolton on Tuesday, June 13. 

Prior to his performance, judges got to know him a little bit, asking what his day job is in the Philippines and why he decided to audition for AGT. 

“In the morning I’m a fisherman, and in the afternoon, I drive a motorcycle taxi (habal-habal),” said Roland as translated by his interpreter. Aside from this, he also shared that he sings in the karaoke in their neighborhood as part of his activities. 

When asked why he joined this year’s competition, Roland emotionally said that it was his “big dream to be here.” 

Although he got nervous at first, Roland immediately impressed the crowd and the judges, earning him a whopping four yeses and a standing ovation. 

“Mic drop. You left it all on the stage, you were amazing, you should be very proud of yourself," said judge Heidi Klum.

For her part, Sofia Vergara said: "I have a feeling you gonna stop fishing because this is where you needed to be."

"You were so nervous, I genuinely thought for one moment you were not able to get to do this. And then, that happened,” Simon Cowell said, whom Roland said was his favorite judge. 

“And it actually made me love this audition even more, and I really like you. That was a great audition. Really brilliant," he added. 

Fellow judge Howie Mandel agreed, noting how Roland sings from the heart. 

"I think Simon is really right. It's the emotion and we could feel your heart. And I think everybody just heard a life-changing moment," Howie Mandel added. 

Roland, who also goes by the name “Bunot” is quite famous in the country, being invited to events and shows with his brilliant vocals. His cover of To Love Somebody by Michael Bolton went viral way back in 2014. He also previously joined It’s Showtime’s “Tawag ng Tanghalan” competition in 2017. 

Watch his performance below: