JakartaPost-June 8, 2023
Seventeen-year-old Indonesian singer Putri Ariani shot to international acclaim nearly overnight when her America’s Got Talent (AGT) audition on Tuesday local time swept the reality show’s audience and judges off their feet, leading her to win the highly coveted Golden Buzzer from no less than Simon Cowell and cementing her worldwide “virality”. Putri, a native of Riau province, was born prematurely in December 2005 due to complications her mother experienced and was diagnosed blind just three months later. Refusing to be constrained by her disability, the up-and-coming songstress has made her mark in popular culture with a captivating performance, singing and playing the piano during the reality show’s televised auditions, adding a notch to her burgeoning music career. “My biggest challenge is people look at me just as a blind person, not as a musician. But when I’m singing, I feel like, um, a superstar,” Putri said moments before she took to the AGT stage. “My dream is being the biggest diva in the world like [American singer] Whitney Houston and to win a Grammy award,” she said in response to a judges’ question. “I hope that I can get into Juilliard […] for my college program,” she said, referring to the renowned performing arts institute in New York. Afterward, Putri proceeded to perform her own song, “Loneliness”, which received a standing ovation from the judges and audience. AGT judge and creator Cowell the went onstage to request a second song from Putri, who once again captivated everyone with her rendition of an Elton John classic, “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”. Read more at:
