Celina Graves has taken America’s Got Talent season 15 by storm. From her first performance, she has been one to watch. Celina will be singing once again for the judges and America’s vote during the Sept. 1 quarterfinals. The San Diego native has persevered through adversity and has already won everyone’s hearts. So, who is Celina? HollywoodLife has 5 key things to know about her.
1. Celina stunned with her rendition of Shawn Mendes’ “Mercy.” Celina performed a soulful cover of the Shawn Mendes hit during her audition. The judges loved her performance. Simon Cowell said that Celina had a “glow” about her and could see her going very far in the competition.
2. She’s a security guard! She revealed to the judges before her audition that she works security for a casino and is training to be in law enforcement.
3. She grew up around music. Her dad has been in a band for as long as she can remember. Celina started singing at 3 years old. “I’ve always dreamt of being a singer,” she said on AGT.
4. She was bullied in high school. She would wear her brother’s clothes and dress like a boy. She said “people would make fun of me” and felt that being “tomboyish was wrong.” Celina admitted that the bullying caused a lot of “anxiety,” and she lost the confidence to become a singer. Eventually, she got her confidence back and started making YouTube videos at 16 years old. Celina gained over 6 million views in a short amount of time.
5. Celina used to be an amazing athlete. She trained in an Olympic development program, her NBC bio says. She wanted to make the USA team, but she got injured in a high school basketball game.