In a potentially calamitous moment, a 12-year-old girl from Easley, South Carolina, transformed an interrupted audition on “America’s Got Talent” into an indelible experience for both the judges and the audience.

As Ansley embarked on her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Think,” judge Simon Cowell unexpectedly halted her performance, expressing disdain for the background music, which he deemed “horrible, horrible.”