Daniel Ferguson had a smart plan when he auditioned for America’s Got Talent 2017. Ferguson included Simon Cowell in his performance with a quick, mild spoof that delighted every one of the judges, including Cowell. Ferguson probably wouldn’t have made it past the auditions if he hadn’t included Cowell.
Daniel Ferguson is a voice impressionist. For his audition, he sang Cake by the Ocean by DNCE as Goofy, Scooby-Doo, Kermit the Frog, Peter Griffin (the cartoon protagonist of Family Guy), Simon Cowell, and Mickey Mouse. As Ferguson sang each impression, a picture of the characters showed on the back screen.
Please share this wonderful song with friends and family after seeing the video below.
The Simon Cowell interlude is the main reason why YouTube users return to the video. To be honest, if it hadn’t been for the projected visuals, I doubt I would have guessed the impressions’ subjects as anything other than Cowell and probably Kermit. This isn’t so much a critique of Ferguson’s vocal mimicry as it is that I couldn’t see the majority of the characters singing Cake by the Ocean as harmoniously as they do in the comedy. And where are the characters’ catchphrases?
Is there a lack of catchphrases such as “Scooby Dooby Doo!” or “Hot dog, hotdog, hot diggity dog” or other humorous references from Mick and Goof? Evaluating Daniel Ferguson’s impersonation skills becomes challenging when the characters appear uncharacteristic. Kermit has a terrific singing voice and performs various tunes, so that’s alright. The Simon interlude is more spoken than sung, and it matches Simon’s personality, so it works. The other personas make me want to hear Ferguson do a straight-up imitation. So, here we go.
Ferguson shared the Harry Potter video above the day before his appearance in the judges’ cut of AGT 2017. He shared the video to commemorate J.K. Rowling’s birthday (July 31). Ferguson selected Maroon 5’s Sugar for the judges’ cut. This time, his impersonation featured Marge Simpson, Gollum from Lord of the Rings, and Bobby Generic, a character portrayed by Howie Mandel in Bobby’s World, an animated children’s show Mandel produced. Unfortunately, Daniel Ferguson did not make the cut.
Daniel Ferguson was 23 years old when he competed on America’s Got Talent. Ferguson was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, and earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Kent State University. He then worked as a sales representative for WMAN Radio, an iHeartMedia affiliate. Ferguson claims he became interested in impressions while on the high school speech and debate team. He began developing voices for the Mad Hatter and other Disney characters, as well as Looney Tunes and SpongeBob characters. Shortly after his AGT audition, he stated, “I’ve always watched cartoons.” Even now, I probably watch more cartoons than the typical 23-year-old should.
Ferguson has used his TV exposure to expand his YouTube account since AGT ended. He presently has 301,000 subscribers and 142 videos. His most successful video is a cover of Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s song Bad Guy. It has 18 million views. That is amazing!
Ferguson’s AGT audition marked his first public performance. According to Ferguson, including Simon Cowell in his performance was a last-minute choice. “I altered it from another voice I was planning to perform, and I wasn’t sure how the judges would respond. But then I noticed them all looking at Simon, and he smiled. “Yikes! Without further ado, get yourself some Scooby Snacks. It’s time for Daniel Ferguson’s viral-video version of Bad Boy: