Biography
Kodi Lee burst onto the national stage in 2019 after claiming victory during the fourteenth season of America's Got Talent. Following his interpretations of material by Leon Russell and Simon & Garfunkel on the program, he began issuing original songs that blend adult pop, R&B, and classical piano elements. His debut original single, the inspirational pop ballad "Miracle," arrived in 2022.
Kodi Taehyun Lee entered the world on July 7, 1996, in Temecula, California. A congenital nerve condition that produces legal blindness was identified early, and autism received a subsequent diagnosis during his toddler years. At age two he astonished his family by reproducing his father's rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the piano with exact fidelity. Largely self-taught, he started appearing in public as a young child yet waited until age eighteen before pursuing structured piano instruction. In May 2019, at twenty-two, he auditioned for America's Got Talent; his voice-and-piano reading of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" earned a standing ovation and the Golden Buzzer from judge Gabrielle Union, sending him straight into the live rounds. He reached the semifinals with Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" and progressed through later rounds with songs associated with Calum Scott and Freya Ridings. On September 18, 2019, he was crowned champion, becoming the first contestant diagnosed with autism or a developmental disability to win the competition.
Early in 2020 Lee returned to the America's Got Talent stage to perform Harry Styles' "Sign of the Times" as a guest, and he participated in multiple autism-awareness and fundraising events until the COVID-19 pandemic suspended live shows. He revisited the studios in 2021 for a duet with H.E.R., then joined Teddy Swims and Journey guitarist Neal Schon for a rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" on an August 2022 broadcast. Within days of that appearance he issued his first original song, "Miracle."
Kodi Taehyun Lee entered the world on July 7, 1996, in Temecula, California. A congenital nerve condition that produces legal blindness was identified early, and autism received a subsequent diagnosis during his toddler years. At age two he astonished his family by reproducing his father's rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the piano with exact fidelity. Largely self-taught, he started appearing in public as a young child yet waited until age eighteen before pursuing structured piano instruction. In May 2019, at twenty-two, he auditioned for America's Got Talent; his voice-and-piano reading of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" earned a standing ovation and the Golden Buzzer from judge Gabrielle Union, sending him straight into the live rounds. He reached the semifinals with Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" and progressed through later rounds with songs associated with Calum Scott and Freya Ridings. On September 18, 2019, he was crowned champion, becoming the first contestant diagnosed with autism or a developmental disability to win the competition.
Early in 2020 Lee returned to the America's Got Talent stage to perform Harry Styles' "Sign of the Times" as a guest, and he participated in multiple autism-awareness and fundraising events until the COVID-19 pandemic suspended live shows. He revisited the studios in 2021 for a duet with H.E.R., then joined Teddy Swims and Journey guitarist Neal Schon for a rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" on an August 2022 broadcast. Within days of that appearance he issued his first original song, "Miracle."
Albums
Singles
