Michael Rice, a 22-year-old English street performer, took the world by storm as he appeared on BBC’s All Together Now. Despite his nervous laughter and timid gestures during the pre-performance chat, Rice transformed on stage, delivering a powerful rendition of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” with confidence and soul. His electrifying performance ignited the judges’ enthusiasm and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Rice quickly rallied the majority of the 100 judges to their feet, impressing with his dynamic stage presence, and got them to dance along to his raspy rock vocal that honored Tina Turner’s iconic number. Now with over 11.4 million views, Rice’s audition stands out as one of the BBC YouTube channel’s most-watched videos.
On All Together Now, all 100 judges express their verdicts by standing for approval or remaining seated otherwise. And to the young man’s delight, he brought the entire panel to their feet, prompting a wave of dance and applause by the song’s end.
The celebration was followed by an emotional twist as the judges serenaded Rice with the chorus of his song, creating a touching moment he could never forget. Host Rob Beckett later spoke with Tina T, a judge who impersonates Tina Turner. As a Tina fan herself, the judge couldn’t contain her excitement, exclaiming, “I am one proud Mary! You’ve got 100 of these amazing guys up, respect!”
Rice’s dynamic night didn’t stop there, as he later performed Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” in the video below.
Judge Georg Tormann, a seasoned vocal coach from the Brit School, couldn’t help but heap praise on Rice, aligning his potential with that of the school’s illustrious alumni like Adele and Jessie J in the last 17 years. He enthused, “You absolutely lit me up. That was incredible. You are outstanding!” highlighting Rice’s exceptional talent.