Huntington Beach’s Matt Mauser seeks votes to advance on ‘America’s Got Talent’

Matt Mauser continues to seek normalcy for himself and his three children.

Mauser’s wife Christina, a basketball coach, was one of nine killed in the helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020 that also took NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and six other people. But singing helps provide that normalcy for the Huntington Beach resident.

He is one step away from performing in front of a live nationwide audience.

Mauser is a wildcard on “America’s Got Talent” and is looking for as many votes as he can secure to advance in the talent show.

Fans must go to Twitter and tweet “#AGTWildcard @MattMauser” to vote for Mauser. Voting ends Friday at 4 a.m. Pacific time. Only one vote is allowed per account.

If Mauser wins the wildcard vote he will advance to the live shows.

“It’s been fun,” he said of the competition during a phone interview Thursday. “It’s been overwhelming a little bit, but it’s been incredibly rewarding. My goal with this whole thing is to make sure that people know that after something tremendously horrific, that you’ve got to find joy again in life. I want my kids to see that life goes on. We have to mourn, but we also have to live.”

Mauser performed on the America’s Got Talent wildcard episode, which debuted Tuesday on the Peacock streaming service. His audition for the reality show last month featured an emotional performance of the Phil Collins song, “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now).”

He also has kept performing with his high-energy band, Tijuana Dogs. They performed at Irvine Regional Park on July 29 and Fairview Park in Costa Mesa two days later. Friday night’s Tijuana Dogs show at Campus JAX in Newport Beach is sold out.

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, formerly Costa Mesa’s mayor, has been promoting Mauser on social media.

“He’s a Costa Mesa favorite,” Foley said. “I’ve had him perform at the Mayor’s Ball, we had him at our Independence Day celebration and he’s performed at Concerts in the Park a couple of times. I think he’s not only just a Costa Mesa favorite, but he’s an Orange County favorite ... Any time I’m able to attend any of his performances, you just get that great feeling that comes from letting loose and having fun with music.”

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