Britain's Got Talent star wants poetry renaissance
Levi GreenA poet who wowed the judges on Britain's Got Talent (BGT) has said he hopes to kick off a "renaissance" in spoken-word.
Sonny Green, 31, from Southend-on-Sea, could be seen performing a version of his poem This Is What England Means To Me on the ITV show on Saturday.
Judges Simon Cowell, KSI, Alisha Dixon and Amanda Holden gave him a standing ovation.
"It was just so surreal," said Green, who is also an actor, musician and market trader.
"I don't think my brain could comprehend what was happening at the time.
"I was just grateful that it landed well, and how it should have really, because you never know how people are going to respond.
"Sometimes it's just not people's bag, you know - spoken word and poetry - but they all loved it, and it resonated with them."
Green's poem celebrates diversity - referencing "Turkish barbers with the sharpest trim" - and pokes fun at British quirks and humour.
Judge KSI said it made him feel emotional, and Dixon was reduced to tears.
A rendition of his poem was played to the crowds during London's most recent New Year's Eve fireworks display after an invitation from the mayor's office.
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Green has spoken about struggling with addiction when he was younger, but says he went clean before his son was born in 2018.
Speaking to BBC Essex breakfast presenter Sonia Watson, he said he had been told that BGT had not televised a poet before.
"Hopefully, this kind of kicks off a renaissance of spoken-word and poetry and who would have thought it would have come out of Southend?"
Green was tight-lipped on how he progressed on the show, but told the BBC he was still writing and inviting ideas from the public.
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