Emmanuel Garilus Crowned 2025 Amateur Night Grand Finale Winner Alongside 2025 Child Star of Tomorrow Nyla Martin

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Episode Transcript

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Traditional edition of Amateur Night now on hiatus until the
Apollo S historic theater reopens following renovation and
restoration. America South longest running
talent show Amateur Night at theApollo Crown.
Saxophonist Emmanuel Garrulous as the winner of the show S
Grand Finale on June 25th. From a global pool of vocalists,

(00:23):
rappers, dancers, instrumentalists, comedians,
spoken word artists and other performers, Emmanuel Garrulous
won over the notoriously tough Be Good or Be Gone audience with
his saxophone performance of Whitney Houston.
SI will always love you to receive the highly coveted
Amateur Night Grand Prize, whichhas jump started the careers of

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artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Her Machine Gun
Kelly and the Jackson 5 of 20 Comma 000.
Alongside a new exclusive opportunity to work with top
music engineers, writers and producers at the Koch Studio at
La Live to hone his craft, Emmanuel was also presented with

(01:06):
the newly released Bulova and Apollo Ella Fitzgerald Special
Edition timepiece, which captures the soulful elegance of
Ella Fitzgerald and commemoratesher historic debut.
At the Apollo Theatre, .16 year old Nila Martin clinched the
title of Child Star of Tomorrow and accompanying 5000 prize with
her rendition of Jennifer Holiday As I Am Changing.

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Emmanuel Garrulis is a professional saxophonist based
in Gainesville, FL with over 10 years of performing experience
across musical styles including jazz, pop, afrobeats and gospel.
This year marks his first amateur night appearance.
That song, I'm a Whitney fan andit's such a sentimental piece

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that truly resonates with the audience.
That S what really stood out to me.
The crowd was so into it and it ended up earning me first place,
said Emmanuel. It was such an honor and a
privilege to perform on such an iconic stage where so many
legends have come through. I'm incredibly honored to have

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won tonight and to be part of the legacy of those who have
stepped foot on that stage. I can't even describe the
feeling. I've never experienced anything
so surreal. Just thinking about the
incredible talent I was up against and the fact that so
many of them are so young and sogifted makes this moment even

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more meaningful, said Nila, the 2025 Child Star of Tomorrow.
I'm beyond happy and incredibly grateful, grateful for this
opportunity and especially grateful for the Apollo.
It's such an amazing place to beand an incredible place to begin
a journey in music. For 9 decades, Amateur Night has

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been the heartbeat of the Apollo.
A consistent place for laughter,celebration, community, and the
development for artists of all levels.
As we brought it to this stage one final time before this
historic theater is transformed,we honor the generations who
built this tradition and the audiences who kept it alive.
We honor every story that has lived within these walls and

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plan to bring back the magic of amateur night at the Apollo
stages at the Victoria and againwhen the historic mainstage
reopens. We're excited to return and be
more modern, more inspired and more rooted in our mission than
ever before, said Michelle Ebanks, president and CEO of the
Apollo. The 2025 grand finale marks the

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final traditional edition of Amateur Night until the Apollo S
iconic historic theatre reopens in 2026 following the completion
of the first full scale renovation, restoration and
modernization in the theatre S 91 year history.
While the Apollo S Historic Theatre is closed, Apollo

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programs, along with variations of Amateur Night, will continue
to be presented at the Apollo S new performance spaces, the
Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theatre.
More information on the renovation of the Apollo S
Historic Theatre can be found here.
The Apollo S Large Scale Talent Competition is produced by Mary

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and J Caffey and is hosted by comedian Capone New York Kings
of Comedy Def Comedy Jam with perennial favorites including CP
Lacey in the role of the executioner in charge of
ushering off eliminated contestants, Kree Jionald
Spencer the Set It Off Man and Amateur Night S long standing

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famous house band led by music director Michael Mitchell.
MJ The Musical featuring DaiquanDavis on drums, Reggie Young on
bass and Matt S Stryker on guitar and keyboard.
Since its inception in 1934, theApollo S signature Amateur night
has attracted audiences from allcorners of the globe and given a

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platform to what are now some ofthe biggest names in
entertainment, including D'Angelo, Luther Vandross,
Lauryn Hill and her. Amateur Night has long been
revered by artists as a transformative experience where
up and coming talent feel the power of the legendary
performers who have come before them and where audience response
can help make or break a career.Hot 97 and WBLS were official

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partners of the Apollo for the 2025 Amateur Night Grand finale.
About the Apollo The Apollo is an American cultural treasure.
It is a vibrant nonprofit organization rooted in the
Harlem community that engages people from around New York, the
nation, and the world. Since 1934, the Apollo has

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celebrated, created and presented work that centers
Black artists and voices from across the African diaspora.
It has also been a catalyst for social and civic advocacy.
Today, the Apollo is the largestperforming arts institution
committed to Black culture and creativity.