During Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent, Simon Cowell pressed his Golden Buzzer for 14-year-old singer Sara James from Poland
Simon Cowell is all about making dreams come true.
During Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent, the judge and executive producer pressed his Golden Buzzer for 14-year-old singer Sara James from Poland.
James wowed the judges’ panel with her rendition of Billie Eilish’s “Lovely,” but it was ultimately Cowell, 62, who pushed the coveted button to send the teen straight to the live shows.
“We’ve heard a lot of singers over the years, but wow,” Cowell said. “You have a real star glow about you.”
The moment happened after James revealed it was her first time in the United States. Cowell then told her that he wanted to make her dreams come true and proceeded to push his Golden Buzzer.
“This is probably where you dreamt of performing. I can remember when I came to America for the first time … that was a moment I’ll never forget,” Cowell said. “And I want to make this a moment for you to remember forever.”
James, who was in disbelief and overcome with emotion on stage, tells PEOPLE that even now the excitement still hasn’t settled in.
“To be honest, I’m speechless. When I’m thinking of it, I’m literally shaking … I’m just so happy,” she says. “It’s something that I’ve dreamed of and it happened. It’s so crazy!”
“In America, dreams come true. It’s so amazing,” she adds. “[Simon] made this whole trip to America so lovely — and America’s actually really beautiful, to be honest. I’m in love and I want to live there — but it was such an amazing moment and when I think of it, I just want to cry.”
Cowell tells PEOPLE, “I pushed my golden buzzer for Sara because she is, in my opinion, a total star. She flew across the world to audition on AGT ‘to see if dreams come true’ — that really resonated with me, as 20 years ago I came to those thoughts as well. I just didn’t have her talent!”
James says she started singing when she was “about 3 or 4” and has been a longtime fan of the show, though she never thought she’d actually audition.
“When I was little, I was watching all the videos of America’s Got Talent on YouTube, and I was like, ‘Oh my god. Wow, it’s so amazing,’ but I’d never think of it in a serious way,” she admits.
That all changed after her recent trip to America.
Following her impressive performance, Cowell told PEOPLE of the judges’ reactions, “We were all thinking the same thing on my particular Golden Buzzer. There were about three of us, I think, all prepared to jump on that Golden Buzzer. [Her] act’s so good.”
Now that she’s been handed a ticket straight to the live shows, James says she’s already brainstorming ideas for her next performance.
“I have a bunch of ideas,” she explains, noting that she’s most excited to get back “on stage and show everything I have to the judges.”
She’s also thrilled to be an AGT act that other people will watch and admire online, just as she had done for so many years.
“It’s super crazy to me that people will look up to me, [both] young kids and older people,” James adds. “I want them to learn to be yourself always and don’t let anyone control you or think for you. You are the star and you have to think [about] what you want to do. Just be yourself and have amazing people around you and never give up.”
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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