Liv Warfield was eliminated from the 2024 America's Got Talent competition after she fell short in a fan vote revealed Wednesday night on NBC.
The Peoria-born musical artist fell short in the overnight public voting that determined which acts would advance to the upcoming AGT semifinal shows. Warfield was one of 11 quarterfinalists to perform Tuesday night at Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
Previously:Peoria native Liv Warfield sings Prince song on 'America's Got Talent' live show
On Wednesday, the live results show on NBC seated three acts into the semifinals. The show whittled the acts down to a final five, based on overnight voting by the public. From that quintet, the three advancing acts were chosen, again, based on vote totals. Warfield was eliminated from the competition during that preliminary reduction in the field, falling short of the final five.
"I'm disappointed, however, I think genuinely, regardless, I really believe great things are going to happen for you," said AGT judge Simon Cowell, who gave Warfield a golden buzzer in the auditions in May. "Because you are … so amazing. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing each other again."
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The judges expressed surprise with some of the voting results.
Warfield was considered among the top two favorites in the entire field to win the $1 million prize, by some online handicapping sites.
The three acts that advanced to the semifinals included singer Richard Goodall, country music group Ashes & Arrows and dog dancing act Roni Sagi & Rhythm.
How Liv Warfield got here
Warfield, backed by her horn-laden big band, belted out a song written by Prince and left the panel stunned Tuesday night.
"I thought you were great the first time," said Cowell, who gave Warfield a golden buzzer for her May audition in which she sang "Stare," an original song. "This was unbelievable. It felt to me like all those years you've been climbing the ladder to where you want to be, it all came out in those 3 minutes.
"If this was the Olympics for singing, you would have won the gold medal."
Background:'America's Got Talent' live shows start Aug. 13. How to watch (and vote) for Peoria's Liv Warfield
Liv Warfield sings Prince song on 'AGT'
Warfield, a 1997 Notre Dame High School grad, took the stage Tuesday night barefoot, dressed in black and silver, with a sparkling headband and flowing robe. The song opened with the lyrics "Hello, how are you, you're looking so fine it's true. Remember the first time we met? You think that was good you ain't seen nothing yet."
The song was titled "The Unexpected" and written by Prince and first recorded by Warfield. It was later performed by Prince under the title "Wow" as the opener on his 2014 album "Plectrumelectrum."
Liv Warfield has a story to tell
Warfield told her story in a Journal Star piece after her AGT audition, how she was born and raised in Peoria and was a gymnast and later high school track star before finding her musical path in college.
She touched on much of that in an NBC interview before Tuesday's performance.
"When Simon hit the golden buzzer my entire life just flashed before my eyes," she said. "As a child, I pushed to be the best at whatever I did, from wanting to be a gymnast to running track, playing violin. But when I was 21, I sang karaoke for the first time. That's when I found what I love to do.
More:'It was everything': Peoria native talks about her music career, next step on America's Got Talent
"I've been grinding for a long time. Backing up Prince was a dream. But I still haven't reached the heights I know I can reach. The golden buzzer … when I got home I cried in the car … I cried hard. I didn't think this would be happening. I'm just everyday people.
"I'm feeling a good amount of pressure, it's a big night. I know it's my chance to show the world I can do this. Which is why I chose a special song that Prince wrote for me. It's something I hold very near and dear to my heart. And that's why I want to sing it on this stage."
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
