Singer Storm Large is ready to take the America's Got Talent competition by ... well, storm.
In her audition, where she put a unique spin on Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin," the 51-year-old artist captivated judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Heidi Klum with her mesmerizing rock vocals. In the end, she earned four easy yeses and a trip to the judge cuts portion of the competition.
So, what is the backstory of this standout AGT contestant? Keep reading for details on what Storm was up to before joining the NBC show.
Storm Large is a well-established artist.
Storm pretty much gave that away when she started singing ... and told the judges that she's been a musician for 30 years. After graduating the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, she moved to San Francisco and later Portland. While in Washington, she started up her own band called Storm and the Balls.
In 2011, she joined the Portland-based group Pink Martini as a vocalist. She's continued to tour all around the world with the group and solo, and is now a prominent fixture in the Portland music scene.
She's "quite tall."
At least, that's how she puts it in her Twitter bio. The Telegram reports that she's an even six feet tall.
She's much more than a singer.
Storm is full of many talents. Apart from being a vocalist, she's also a playwright, author and actor. As noted on her website, Storm created an autobiographical musical memoir called Crazy Enough, which "played to packed houses" in 2009 and also performed a cabaret version of the show. Three years later, she released her memoir of the same name, which reportedly went on to become Oprah's Book of the Week and receive the 2013 Oregon Book Award for Creative Nonfiction.
What's more, she appeared in a film called Rid of Me and starred alongside Katey Sagal and Michael McKean in Harps and Angels.
Storm has already gone far on a TV competition show.
Some folks may recognize Storm if they remember the CBS show Rock Star: Supernova, which sought to find the next lead vocalist of a new band featuring Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. In 2006, Storm was a finalist on the reality competition series, but was eliminated just one week before the finale. Lukas Rossi ultimately won the show.
It's likely Simon has heard of Storm before.
During her audition, Simon asked the singer if the two had met before, to which Storm lightheartedly quipped back, "We were so young, Simon. Let's not bring that up."
Though some viewers missed it or didn't think much of the exchange, a few began asking on social media if the two had, in fact, crossed paths in the past. After all, Simon has long been a prominent talent scout and entertainment executive. He also spent the early 2000s judging the heyday of American Idol on Fox; meanwhile, Storm was a finalist on a rival singing competition show around the same time.
Thankfully after seeing this article, Storm clarified on her Instagram Stories that she was simply joking around with Simon during the audition. "Dear internet, I was totally kidding. I have never met Simon before my audition. I was just nervous and being a jack--s. 💋," she wrote.
So there you have it!
