When Mackenzie Sol was just 4 years old, he auditioned for judge Simon Cowell on The X Factor. More than 20 years later, the now-25-year-old TikTok star was back in front of Cowell to try out for America’s Got Talent.
On Tuesday night’s (June 23) episode, Sol transformed sombr‘s breakout hit “Back to Friends” into a sensual R&B ballad, slowing down the tempo and adding a series of creative vocal runs, putting all the attention on the song’s heartbreaking lyrics. “Back to Friends” was sombr’s first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100 back in April 2025, eventually peaking at No. 7 in January this year.
Ahead of his performance, Sol was able to tell Cowell about their first encounter more than two decades ago. What he didn’t mention is that in the years since, he’s gone on to amass more than 12 million TikTok followers through his combination of comedy and music videos. He also previously auditioned for American Idol in 2024, making it to the top 20 of season 22 before he didn’t make the top 14 cut.
But he’ll be moving forward in AGT: Following the sombr cover, Cowell asked fellow judge Mel B of Spice Girls fame to share her thoughts, and she immediately went for the Golden Buzzer, automatically advancing Sol to the live shows.
Below, watch Sol’s full audition:
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