LOS ANGELES — Winning a reality competition show can open doors, and it’s a dream shared by thousands of aspiring performers.
For singer Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., it was also an opportunity to show America his unique talent.
“Ever since I can remember, I’ve been dancing and singing with my brothers and sisters in our living room,” said Murphy, Jr., winner of season 6 of America’s Got Talent. “We always did stuff like that because that’s the type of house that I grew up in.”
Known for crooning songs popularized by Frank Sinatra, Murphy, Jr. beat the competition and achieved an unimaginable dream after spending 10 years washing cars. The difference it's made in his life was like night and day.
“My experience was just happy,” said Murphy, Jr. “Like, I went in with a positive attitude — with an attitude of even not trying to win it. And plus, I was at the end of my ropes, so I had nothing to lose.”
By "nothing to lose," Murphy Jr. is referring to how he was robbed of his possessions right before his appearance. He didn’t even have clothes to wear and depended on the wardrobe provided to him by the production. A Black man growing up in West Virginia, he was pleasantly surprised by the support he received from the AGT producers.
AGT judge Gabrielle Union recently settled out of court over claims of a toxic work environment after speaking out against racism and sexism, but it wasn’t an experience Landau shared.
“I know racism still exists in certain places and certain parts of society, but I didn’t just experience that while I was there,” said Murphy, Jr. “As far as other people’s experience, I can’t comment on that because theirs was probably different from mine. Somebody like Gabrielle Union, she’s sitting next to those people. You know, I’m a contestant, I don’t sit in the boardroom and make the decisions and see what’s coming down from the top.”
Despite coming out victorious, Murphy, Jr. does have one regret: He walked away from headlining the AGT Vegas show, which he feels alienated him from the producers and, unlike other winners, he hasn’t been invited to return to the show.
“I feel it was a bad decision now because I felt like it black-balled me from me actually coming back and passing the torch,” he said.
Murphy, Jr. also had to postpone his latest album as a result of COVID-19, which was supposed to be released back in April. But all is not lost. After dropping out of high school 30 years ago, Murphy, Jr. used his time during the pandemic to get his GED.
“Us acts, we come and we go, but I still have true fans out here, he said. "I still travel around the world doing shows."
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. Once a champion, always a champion.