Music

Boyceville Native Tackles Her Trolls on Live TV

Madilyn Bailey reached semifinals of ‘America’s Got Talent’

Rebecca Mennecke |

One local native is hitting back at haters to prove she’s got talent in this season of America’s Got Talent.

A prolific YouTuber and TikTok sensation, Madilyn Bailey first appeared on the show on July 6 with screenshots of hateful comments from her YouTube channel appearing behind her.

“You’re going to take ugliness and make it beautiful,” commented Howie Mandel, a judge on America’s Got Talent. “That’s a good idea,” added fellow judge Simon Cowell.

Bailey’s stardom began back in 2008 with the launch of her YouTube channel – which has now garnered over 8.48 million subscribers and more than a billion views in total. Perhaps most famous for her 2012 cover of the hit single “Titanium” by David Guetta featuring Sia which garnered over 114 million views, Bailey has also found success in a newer medium: TikTok, where she began making songs out of her hate comments.

She also appeared live on The Today Show in 2018 following the release of her single, “Tetris.”

“The dream is for me to sing songs that I’ve written, that I love,” she said in her audition, “(and) get it out to as many people in the world as possible.”

Bailey advanced throughout July and August to the next stages of competition, performing “Titanium” on Aug. 10, and surviving (thanks to audience votes) to make it into the show’s semifinals. And while she was ultimately eliminated from contention on Sept. 1, there’s no question that Madilyn’s star is still rising.