Howie Mandel’s eyes flew open, his whole face frozen in pure shock as the young man strode onto the stage like he’d been performing there his whole life. Every step he took crackled with wild, unstoppable energy. And then he opened his mouth to sing—and the entire room changed in an instant. It felt like the whole crowd took one long breath and forgot how to breathe out. His voice slammed through the theater like a freight train—rough, powerful, and dripping with that deep, smoky Elvis-style soul.

There are lots of talented young stars on the Got Talent series, and a few of them are even Elvis impersonators. Here’s a kid that isn’t an impersonator but still has one of the AGT judges, Howie Mandell, saying he’s the “new Elvis of country music.”

Drake Milligan of Fort Worth, Texas, has been performing for years and yes, he even did a stint impersonating his childhood idol Elvis. But as he got older he got more serious about his music, writing his own songs and touring with a band out of Nashville.

Now Drake hopes to use the America’s Got Talent stage to launch his career, sort of like Elvis used the southern dance circuit as his springboard to success. AGT has launched  many singers’ careers and Drake hopes to be the latest.

As soon as Drake launches into an original song, “Sounds Like Something I’d Do,” the audience and judges realize they are watching a talented young man. And when he throws in a few “Elvis jiggles,” it’s not hard to see why he’s being compared to his childhood idol. This is a fantastic audition.

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