North Shore brothers Nyjah Music & Zyah Rhythm earned a spot in the live shows of Season 21 of “America’s Got Talent” this week, in episode 10, which aired on NBC on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
That means three Oʻahu residents have a chance at $1 million in the "America’s Got Talent" live shows.
The brothers, who are Bruno Mars’ nephews, first auditioned on “America’s Got Talent” in an earlier episode, where they sang their latest single, “Heartbeat.” Now they join Isaac Atkins, who is stationed on Oʻahu and has advanced straight to the live shows when Judge Mel B hit the golden buzzer during his audition.
The live shows feature 44 acts, 10 of which are golden buzzers.
This week, an episode aired featuring the brothers in the judges callbacks round, which is new this season and gives select acts a chance to perform a second time before judges choose who advances to the live shows, according to NBC’s website. Cowell reviewed six contestants — including Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm — in his judges callback round filmed at his house in Malibu, California, along with guest judges Normani and Poo Bear. Of those six acts, five advanced.
“I think you did better today than you did the first time we saw you,” Cowell told the North Shore brothers in the latest episode. “I am worried about your lack of experience. And it’s a lot of pressure. At the same time, I think our audience is gonna love you, which is why you are joining us in the live shows.”
The brothers’ mother, Tahiti Kemper, a gym owner and fitness coach, is married to Billy Kemper, a world champion big wave surfer, took to social media to post about the day.
“Life is about taking chances and doing everything with love, passion, and dedication,” she wrote on Instagram. “Whatever the outcome is, every opportunity is always a great one.”
Contestants for “America’s Got Talent” can be any age and share any talent, according to the show’s audition website. The show’s platform includes an audience in more than 20 countries and millions of viewers on social media.
Atkins grew his music career by posting videos of himself singing in his car. Now, the social media influencer has more than 118,000 followers on TikTok, but he told ASD that the AGT stage has been the largest of his career, so far.
Atkins spoke with ASD the day before his golden-buzzer-winning audition aired on television. At the time, he had plans to hold a watch party with his soldiers on base so they could catch the episode together.
“It was crazy because when I was up on the stage, I had the earpieces in, but I could still hear the audience — how loud they were,” he told ASD. “It was super encouraging when I was singing to hear them cheering. It amped me up even more, even though I was still extremely nervous, because who wouldn't be? I’m not an experienced performer.”
Follow Atkins on TikTok , YouTube and Instagram and Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm on Spotify, YouTube and Instagram.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
