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Kseniya Simonova is a sand artist who appeared on The Champions (Series 1) and claimed Amanda Holden's Golden Buzzer. On the show she represented The Ukraine, and prior to it had come third on AGT: The Champions whilst representing the same country (also claiming a Golden Buzzer from host Terry Crews). Due to the Golden Buzzer she advanced straight through to the final. Kseniya also has her own YouTube channel named Sand Artist Kseniya Simonova, atop of all of this too. On BGTC she came third overall once again.
To begin her performance she made a beach out of sand art. A child was lying down on the beach as soothing music played as she did this. She then changed the beach landscape to a hospital so a mother lay down with a child. She then made the outdoors with several birds a beach and the sky. A child was then placed on the beach lying down again. She then changed the beach to a hospital as the child made of sand art had now been diagnosed with cancer. The background then had the sounds of hospital machines heard within it, as she made jabs out of sand to go into the child, as Kseniya proceeded to place a tear within the child's right eye. She then created a picture of the outdoors with sand, and a hand to be placed upon the child's stomach. It was then that she created a bird and hearts on the outside of the window as the child now seemed to be nearing being cured. ‘Fight Song’ by Rachel Platten then began to play in the background of the act by this point. The child's mother then sat by the child as she placed the words ‘Never Give Up’ beside this, depicting the child's recovery. Throughout her performance she knelt down besides a miniature sand pit and used her fingers to create the sand art and her hands to erase it to move the story that the sand art told, to its next segment each time it progressed onwards. Amanda remarked that her performance was 'So moving' adding that Simonova was attempting to convey was 'Very uplifting and emotional', as in Kseniya's opening VT she had stated that she worked with cancer patients, and it was specifically children who were suffering from it that she worked with, before pressing her Golden Buzzer, advancing her directly onto the Final.
In her Final performance she created a story via sand art once again, however this time incorporated snow art as well. The second sand and snow story began In London with a path of walkway covered with stones, which also contained Big Ben and London Bridge. She later placed the face of her British idol Princess Diana on the outskirts of the left side of London, as ‘Ordinary World’ by Duran Duran began to play in the background. She later created a large sky and a road. She then separated both London and Princess Diana and created two children out of sand art these being Prince Harry and Prince William as babies. She then added a hat onto Diana's head and created formal attire for her, thus removing the segment of the children's birth. She then created a hospice and showed Diana lying down in a hospice bed for reasons unknown. It was then that she created a man which may have been Prince Phillip. Later the sounds of the wind could be heard as she created a large submarine. Kseniya then created a snowy evening London with a large tree and a half moon in the left hand corner. She then added Princess Diana into the right hand corner of the sand art frame before planting a message that read ‘Always In Our’ besides a sand art drawing of a heart. She then concluded her performance by placing a red rose over Diana's chin. Simon remarked it was 'Absolutely beautiful, heartfelt and it will live forever', with Alesha adding that she believed Simonova 'Deserved to be in [the final]' due to her creativity and originality.
After The Champions[]
After her first appearance on Britain's Got Talent: The Champions (Series 1), she proceeded to create copies of the four BGT judges out of sand art. She had also made a sand art version of Lorraine's Dan Wooton atop of this as well, as the latter was shown on Lorraine in September 2019.
In 2022, Simonova was a Guest Performer during the fourth Semi-Final of Series 15 of Britain's Got Talent, therefore making her the first act who competed on The Champions from a foreign country, to return as a Guest Performer on the main show.
In February 2020, Simonova returned to ‘America's Got Talent: The Champions’ during its second series' finale as a guest performer.
In February 2020, Simonova auditioned for the tenth series of Romania's Got Talent, however she failed to reach the live shows. Kseniya was the second act from the Champions to compete on Romania's Got Talent in 2020, with the first being Gennady Tkachenko-Papizh.[1]
In 2021, Simonova appeared on an episode of the French version of the show 'Game Of Talents'.
In 2024, Simonova competed on ‘America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League’ where she was drafted onto Howie Mandel’s Team. She reached the Top 3 of her Semi-Final but was eliminated alongside Adrian Stoica & Hurricane instead of Shadow Ace.
Trivia[]
- She is the first and currently only contestant to have ever had a Golden Buzzer on two separate editions of The Champions (AGT and BGT), yet one of eight overall.
- Kseniya was the highest placing act who did not originally compete in that version's series, much like she was on AGTC too.
- Kseniya, Preacher Lawson, Boogie Storm, and Alexa Lauenburger, are the only four acts who have made the Final of both AGTC and BGTC.