Sara Bareilles commends Calysta Bevier’s ‘Brave’ cover
Lori Melton
Aug 3, 2016
Grammy and Tony Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles shared some big Twitter love for 16-year-old “America’s Got Talent” contender Calysta Bevier after her emotional, inspirational cover of “Brave” during last night’s Quarterfinals live performances.
Bevier entered the round as Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer winner and she didn’t fail to disappoint Cowell, the audience and Bareilles herself who tweeted a clip of Bevier singing the song, captioned with three winking, kiss-blowing emojis.
How cool is that?
Cowell clapped longer than any of the other three judges and then told her,
“I’ve never felt so nervous during one of these performances because I just wanted this to happen for you Calysta. From the very first time we met you and I watched the clip back and I said that you’re special and you got the Golden Buzzer, I’m so happy. You’re more than a great artist Calysta. You’re a very special person and you really truly are an inspiration.”
The iconic producer summed up the 16-year-old cancer survivor perfectly.
Bevier used music to get her through a very frightening and difficult illness.
Her “Fight Song” AGT audition captured America’s heart and prompted Simon Cowell to press the Golden Buzzer. She returned to the Quarterfinals stage to deliver another important message:
be brave.
Her song choice was brilliant and couldn’t come at a more poignant time for our country. We’ve sustained tremendous losses in Orlando due to two senseless acts of gun violence. The Pulse nightclub victims lost their lives and “Voice” runner-up Christina Grimmie was murdered by a crazed fan.
The first attack was aimed at members of the LGBTQ community and Bareilles co-wrote the song “Brave” with Jack Antonoff of fun for a close friend who struggled with coming out.
‘Brave’ became a sort of civil rights anthem that was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 2014.
I am a writer, editor, and marketing/communications professional.
I will also volunteer my services for some non-profits.
I earned my master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, worked as a reporter, and spent most of my career in public relations work for non-profits.
I’m not a Transformer fan. There’s very little I know about them.
I found this YouTube video and the words captivated me. I had to google who Optimus Prime was.
There is so much truth in these words. Even if we lived in a world of fantasy, these words apply to that world as well as the world that we currently inhabit.
There is violence, cruelty and greed. Sometimes mistakes are made and repeated again and again.
Yet there is goodness, compassion, wisdom, honor, love and truth.
Those are qualities that need to be strengthened and developed. We owe it to our race and our world.
FANTASY AND REALITY MESHED TOGETHER
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise.
Prime is the leader of the Autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The Autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons.
He is depicted as a brave, powerful, wise and compassionate leader who puts his talent to use improving the universe around him. Optimus is portrayed as having a strong sense of justice and righteousness and has dedicated himself to the protection of all life, particularly the inhabitants of Earth.
The race of the homo sapiens. They have shown violence, cruelty and greed. Mistakes have been made and repeated. They can’t or sometimes refuse to see. Still there is goodness in them. They have the capacity for compassion, wisdom, courage, honor, love and truth.
Just another traveler on life's highway hanging out in the slow lane. It's quiet, it's peaceful. Beyond the horizon is rest calling my name. Green pastures, still waters, my cup runneth over.
