‘AGT’ Act Mervant Vera Combines Magic and Rap in Early Release Audition
Chris Haston/NBC Reading Time: 2 minutes
America’s Got Talent shared an early release audition on Friday from performer Mervant Vera ahead of the Season 17 premiere. In the clip, Mervant performs magic like we’ve never quite seen before, combining it with a rap performance.
‘AGT’ Releases Mervant Vera Audition from Season 17
Mervant told the judges that he’s 33 years old and from Philadelphia. He said that growing up, he saw magicians as superheroes. When asked if he makes a living doing magic, Mervant replied, “I do my best.”
He got emotional as he shared that he lost his grandmother in the past year, explaining that she was “one of my biggest supporters in magic.” At one point, he thought about quitting, but his grandmother told him, “don’t you dare ever do that.”
“If you can do it on this stage, you can do it anywhere,” Mervant said of his choice to audition for AGT. “I’ve been watching this on television for years, and to possibly have a Vegas show, to tour the world, it would be a dream come true.”
SEE ALSO: ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ SEASON 17 SNEAK PEEK: FIRST LOOK AT THE ACTS AUDITIONING
The Act Combines Magic and Rap in a Unique Way
Even though the judges could tell Mervant had nerves, he confidently began his audition with a never seen before skill. He combines rap and magic to create a musical, yet mind blowing performance.
“I know you’ve seen a lot of magic on this show,” he said. “But I’m gonna show you something you’ve never seen with a deck of cards. I want you to watch each and every card closely, ’cause I have a little story for you, and it goes like this.”
Mervant shuffled the deck and then proceeded to perform a rap that matched up with the cards he pulled out one by one. For example, when he said he has a “sixth sense,” he pulled out the six of clubs. When he pulled out two 10 cards, he made a pun out of “paradigm” and “pair of dimes.”
The audience and judges responded well to his clever performance, although Heidi Klum commented that he seemed nervous when the audition started. We’ll find out if Mervant made it through to the next round when the Season 17 premiere of AGT airs Tuesday, May 31, on NBC.
