Atlanta’s Ashford Sanders almost died after a failed kidney transplant in 2024. In December, his house went up in flames, forcing him to live in a hotel for months. And his gospel career stalled after making the top five on BET’s “Sunday Best” singing competition.
But 39-year-old Sanders, who on the surface seems pleasantly chipper, channeled his pain and suffering into his audition on NBC’s sturdy reality competition show “America’s Got Talent,” which aired in July. He gave the Billie Eilish ballad “What Was I Made For?” from the “Barbie” film his own brand of pathos.
The result: Both the audience and judges gave Sanders a standing ovation.
“I’ve always been about understanding the room,” Sanders told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You have to cater to the audience. I took the producers’ advice and stepped outside of the box and challenged myself. I wanted to see what kind of life I could bring to this song. Billie sang it as a soprano, breathy and airy. I wanted to inject a little soulfulness.”
Sanders received four enthusiastic yeses and will be on the first live quarterfinal episode of “America’s Got Talent” on Tuesday night along with the CommUnity ATL Choir.
“You were giving me Luther Vandross, Alexander O’Neal, Raphael Saadiq, some Tony! Toni! Toné!,” raved judge Mel B on the show. “You were giving me everything and more.”
“Your voice is like a warm blanket,” Howie Mandel added.
Simon Cowell, the man connected to music critiques for 24 years going back to his days on “American Idol,” praised Sanders for tackling a song nobody expected him to sing: “You are a gifted, brilliant singer. Beautiful tone. … You come over as a really sweet person as well.”
Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
On dialysis after his kidneys failed at age 22, Sanford received a kidney transplant in 2024. But the kidney had a yeast infection. Two weeks later, “I coded twice,” he said. “They had to take that kidney out. It caused problems I didn’t have in the first place.”
At the same time, “that experience woke me up. I’ve bounced back. I came out swinging. I need to go after everything as soon as possible.”
He is also awaiting another kidney and working hard to lose weight.
During his audition, which was taped in Pasadena, California, in March, he promoted his Atlanta soul food restaurant Ashford’s Kitchen, inspired by the cooking of an aunt who passed in 2017. It closed recently, he said, because of maintenance issues, and he’s operating a food truck while looking for a permanent space. He dishes out fried chicken, mac and cheese and collard greens. He is also a bank teller.
Sanders said he could certainly use the $1 million prize for winning “America’s Got Talent.” His house was badly damaged by a fire in December, and he’s had to live in a hotel while repairs are being made.
Finishing in the top five on BET’s “Sunday Best” in 2012 was “a blessing and a curse,” he said of thegospel music competition show that aired several seasons in Atlanta until it ended in 2020. “I was exposed to millions of people, but I couldn’t do anything after the show. They locked me in a five-year contract and didn’t allow me to flourish.”
By the time he was able to get out of the contract, “my momentum was long gone,” Sanders said.
“AGT,” though, feels different, he said.
“This is the moment that changes everything,” he said. “It’s different from any other stage I have ever done.” At the same time, he added, “I never cared about being famous. I just wanted to make a living being a great artist, being a great singer.”
Going live this week doesn’t faze him.
“I’m going to stay in the moment,” Sanders said. “I’m relaxed. I’m excited. I expect great things. As long as everything is done fairly, I’ll be happy with the outcome.”
Atlanta will also be represented Tuesday night by CommUnity ATL Choir, which appeared on the Season 21 debut episode of “America’s Got Talent” in June, singing a joyous version of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day.”
Deanna Dixon, the group’s creator and a former backup singer for artists like Monica and Beyoncé, brought five other people on stage, then another dozen from the side stages. The big surprise: About 25 more choir members stood up from the audience and joined the group.
The judges put them through with no reservations.
“That was just everything for me,” Mel B said. “The harmonies, the vibe, the swag.”
“That was a couple of minutes of great escape,” Mandel said.
Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
“This is one of the best choirs we’ve had in years,” Cowell said. “You were prepped. The choreography was amazing. The vocal arrangements were great. You have sensed the mood and did exactly the right thing, which gives us something which makes us feel great.”
Given the volume of people on stage, host Terry Crews joked, “You didn’t tell me you brought all of Atlanta here!”
Dixon, an Uber driver and vocal coach, put the choir together last year after a successful meetup that drew 30 singers who spent an hour learning Aaliyah’s “Try Again.” They began performing on the Beltline, including a viral video rendition of “Lovely Day” arranged by Dixon, her brother, Robbie, and her friend, Joy Warren.
Soon, CommUnity ATL was getting booked for paid events and attracting the attention of “AGT.”
“The world feels like such a divided place,” Dixon told the AJC. “We want to bring the world positivity. The joy is palpable. We became known as the pop-up choir. I’m so happy to showcase that to a wide audience.”
Both acts will compete with nine other performers Tuesday night, with results airing Wednesday night. Four of the 11 will make it to the semifinals: three from the public vote and the fourth from the judges. There will be four quarterfinal weeks. The semifinals will air Sept. 15-16 and the finals the following week. A winner will be crowned Sept. 23.
IF YOU WATCH
“America’s Got Talent”
8 p.m. Tuesdays, live on NBC and available the next day on Peacock.
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