Everyone on the planet had no idea the South African musician Innocent Masuku was about to release such incredible energy during his audition for Britain’s Got Talent 2024. From the opening line, Innocent’s deep and magnificent operatic tenor voice stunned Italian judge Bruno Tonioli. His performance was second to none. Many TV viewers, though, felt the celebrity was unjustly passed over for the Golden Buzzer because of his audition.
An enchanting operatic voice emanated from this seemingly incongruous individual, ensnaring the crowd in a spell of awe-struck silence. “Caruso,” an opera by Lucio Dalla that was popular in Italy, was Innocent’s tune of choice. It was clear from Bruno’s expression at the judges’ table that Innocent had perfected every detail of his performance, down to the phonetics and the beautiful tones. The joy and force of opera were embodied by Innocent with remarkable, natural skill; she was both traditional and astonishing.
The audience gazed open-mouthed as Bruno peered closer and rose from his seat, arms outstretched, as Innocent’s chorus soared sky-high. After his performance came to a dramatic close, Bruno told Innocent his performance was “very, very special — you are special,” Alesha Dixon said it was “overwhelming,” “divine,” and Amanda Holden claimed Innocent was the best opera singer to have ever appeared in Britain’s Got Talent 17-season history.
Born in South Africa and now living in London, Innocent Masuku was 33 when he auditioned on BGT. This happy-go-lucky character had already won Amanda’s heart the moment he set foot on stage sporting a black and white shirt made by his mother — making it no surprise she joined the judges’ unanimous ‘Yes’ vote, sending Innocent through to the next round of the competition.
