From the outside, 21-year-old Brandie Love is every bit your typical country girl. The North Carolina native is young and beautiful, and she’s dating a helicopter pilot in the army.

Stepping on stage, Brandie had good reason to be nervous. First of all, her boyfriend was able be there to watch her sing before being deployed again. And though she’s an aspiring singer, Brandie never sang in front of a crowd this big before, let alone for millions of people watching from home. The judges assumed Brandi would sing a country song, but instead she surprised them by going the Gospel route. Did she have it in her?

Though Simon was skeptical when she begins her rendition of “Up to the Mountain” by Patty Griffin, he was hooked within seconds. Watching Brandie’s proud family backstage as she belts it out brought tears to my eyes.

This tiny singer manages to interject soul and power into her charming country twang. After the jaw-dropping performance, Simon said, “Brandie’s performance took us all to church and we are all happy to go with her.” Now that’s an awesome compliment if I’ve ever heard one. But my favorite comment of all comes from a YouTube user who says, “I’m not a very religious man but, when I heard this I felt God’s presence around me…” Amen!

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