FROM LOST TO FOUND

Hi, my name is Tyler James. I'm 14 years old and I live in an orphanage in Ohio. I wasn't always in an orphanage. I had a mom. She used to sing to me every night, same song every time, You Are My Sunshine. I thought she'd always be there, but when I was seven she got really sick and she never made it out of the hospital. After that I kind of bounced around. Different homes, different schools, different people telling me they'd try their best, but it was never permanent. So I ended up in Sunny Grove, the orphanage I'm at now. Funny name, right? It doesn't always feel sunny, but it's where I found music again. They have this old piano in the common room. Keys are chipped. Some don't even work, but to me it's everything. When I play, I feel like I'm not alone. Like maybe someone's listening. Maybe my mom's listening. So I'm here on America's Got Talent not just because I love music, but because I want to tell my story. And maybe, just maybe, help someone out there who feels like they don't belong anywhere. If I can do that, then this moment is already worth it. Thank you for letting me be here. I'm Tyler James, and this is for anyone who ever felt forgotten. Now I want to sing a song that touched me a lot. I was seven, falling on to a forest that's now long gone. She sang to me and whispered a lie, said I'll be near you every night. The silence came and filled the room, empty bed and no perfume. They packed my clothes, they said be strong, but no one told me where I belong. I've been chasing stars through broken skies, wishing on the wrong goodbyes, looking for a hand to hold in a world that always feels so cold. But in this song, I find my light even when there's no one in sight. I may be lost, but I stay strong because I know I'll find somewhere I belong. Sunnybrook is not that bright, but it gave me back my night. Old piano out of tune became my friend, my type. I write these chords, I speak in sound, where broken hearts can still be found. And every note and every line is me just learning how to shine. I've been chasing stars through broken skies, wishing on the wrong goodbyes, looking for a hand to hold in a world that always feels so cold. But in this song, I find my light even when there's no one in sight. I may be lost, but I stay strong because I know I'll find somewhere I belong. Maybe it's here under these stage lights, maybe someone hears me at night. I'm not just a name in a file, I'm a voice, I'm a dream, I'm a child. I've been chasing stars through broken skies, wishing on the wrong goodbyes. But now I stand and sing out loud to rise above the quiet crowd. And in this song, I find my light even when there's no one in sight. I may be lost, but I stay strong. It's a night I found somewhere I belong.