From Near-Death to Golden Buzzer: Mom-Son’s Duet Wins Hearts at Ireland’s Got Talent

From Near-Death to Golden Buzzer: Mom-Son’s Duet Wins Hearts at Ireland’s Got Talent
L, R: Photo courtesy of Sharon Webb, Inset: Photo courtesy of Brandon Webb
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Ireland’s Got Talent played host to a very special mother-and-son duo in its second season in 2019; the pair earned the series’ third golden buzzer. They nearly didn’t make it onto the stage together.

Twenty-year-old barman and disc jockey Brandon, and his mom, Sharon Webb, from County Kildare, Ireland, shared their story.

“It’s every parents’ nightmare,” Sharon opened up, speaking to IGT’s cameras backstage before their performance, in a clip that has since been shared on YouTube. “You get a phone call; he’s been rushed to hospital.”

“It was horrendous,” she added.

Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sherryxx1">Sharon Webb</a>
Photo courtesy of Sharon Webb

Brandon, sharing his side of the story, admitted that he didn’t remember very much. “I was out with my friends. I took something I shouldn’t have,” the young man revealed. “I made a mistake; it nearly cost me my life.”

The then-teenager ended up on life support in September of 2018. A heartbroken Sharon was warned by Brandon’s doctors that she should prepare herself to say goodbye to her son.

“The doctors were saying that his brain had been starved of so much oxygen that they didn’t know what damage was done,” she added.

Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brandon.webb.986227">Brandon Webb</a>
Photo courtesy of Brandon Webb

“I was holding his hand and we were told to say goodbye,” Sharon recalled. “I kept talking to him and singing to him. I said, ‘Come on, Bud, come back to me,’” the tearful mother remembered.

But after 10 days in the ICU, Brandon recovered. “It just wasn’t his time,” Sharon said.

After taking to the stage to greet the judges, the mom-son duo was asked about their backstory and if their song choice had any particular, personal meaning. The pair swapped a meaningful glance and told their story, once more, to the packed auditorium.

Judge Denise Van Outen gasped upon learning that Sharon had prepared to say goodbye to her son. But the Irish mother’s next words gave everyone comfort: “He came back to me a couple of days later,” she said. After Brandon had made a full recovery, the pair started singing together again.

Brandon and Sharon sang a moving rendition of Calum Scott’s “You Are the Reason,” and their performance already has 6.1 million views on YouTube. The mother and son’s vocals brought tears to judge Denise and host Lucy Kennedy’s eyes, as well as bringing the crowd to their feet for a standing ovation.

But tears were not enough for host Lucy. She slowly descended the stairs and made a beeline for a very important, highly coveted buzzer. The judges’ panel lit up with anticipation, and Lucy made the Webbs’ day; she hit the golden buzzer.

“They’re mine!” she declared, and the auditorium erupted with cheers. “You guys are just amazing,” Lucy told her winners, “and I’m so proud, so proud to have you both.”

Denise had praise for the singing mother and her son with his second lease on life. “I just think you are both fabulous together,” she gushed. “You can see the love shining through.”

Brandon Webb with Lucy Kennedy. (Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brandon.webb.986227">Brandon Webb)</a>
Brandon Webb with Lucy Kennedy. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Webb)

“There really is no love in this world like a mother’s love,” judge Michelle Visage, herself a mom of two, added. “We as mothers felt your joy, your love, and your pain, all at the same time singing this song.”

Brandon and Sharon went into the semi-finals. “I’m here for a reason now,” Brandon told the backstage cameras. “I just think music is that reason; it gives me motivation to get up in the morning.”

“We’re winners today,” Sharon added, “just to be here.”

The duo made it to the finals but were not sorry to walk away without the winning title; Brandon and Sharon gained so much more from their experience on IGT than the accolade. Brandon has even become an advocate for anti-drugs campaigning.
“I’m not one to preach,” Brandon admitted to KildareNow. “I’ve made mistakes. I’m still making mistakes, but I always strive to be better and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the past year.”
Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sherryxx1">Sharon Webb</a>
Photo courtesy of Sharon Webb

“Be careful and say no,” the singer advised, speaking to all young people who may be tempted by illegal substances. “You don’t want to go through what I did,” he warned, “so stay safe.”

Brandon and his mom, their voices in perfect harmony, planned to release an album in December of 2019.