Dustin Tavella (born April 11, 1986) is an American

magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

and singer. He is best known for being the season 16 winner of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

show ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

'' as a magician. Since 2010, Tavella has released numerous singles, and an EP in 2014.

Early life and education

Tavella was born in

Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the incorporation as a borough in 1815. In 1888 ...

, and graduated from Pottsgrove High School. As a child, he went to

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

shows in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

with his grandparents, who were into gambling. Prior to starting his music career, Tavella worked for a humanitarian organization (

Compassion International Compassion International is an American child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that aims to positively influence the long-term development of children globally who live in pover ...

), aiding the

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

and

mentoring Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

youth program Youth programs are particular activities designed to involve people between the ages of 10 and 25. Activities included are generally oriented towards youth development through recreation, social life, prevention, intervention, or education. During ...

Music and magic career

Upon realizing the positive impact music had on people, Tavella made a shift to an entertainment career. In 2010, after writing and recording R&B-style pop songs, he began posting them on YouTube as dUSTIN tAVELLA. Since 2011, Tavella has produced multiple singles and an EP, via his

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Film and Music (FAM). In early 2012, Tavella gained some national exposure when he appeared on CMT's reality television show, ''Sweet Home Alabama''. Mixing a bit of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

(with his guitar) into his predominantly urban style, he released a few singles related to the show. In 2013, Tavella released the single "Everybody Knows (Douchebag)", which went viral. Pop singer

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

choreographed a dance video to the song, as a "dismissal" to ex-boyfriend

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

. Later that year, Gomez made a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

in Tavella's official video for the song, featuring

Danny Trejo Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including ''Desperado'', ''Heat'', and the ''From Dusk Till Dawn'' film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed ...

and

Francia Raisa Francia Raisa Almendarez (born July 26, 1988) is an American actress. Raisa is known for her roles in '' Bring It On: All or Nothing'', ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', and ''Grown-ish''. Early life and education Raisa was born an ...

. A five-song EP, called ''Phases 1 3'', arrived in July 2014.

''America's Got Talent''

In 2018, Tavella began performing

professionally. In 2021, he auditioned for the season sixteen of ''

''. He made it to the finals, performed with

Mat Franco Mat Franco (born May 10, 1988) is an American magician best known for his personality driven, skill-based sleight of hand magic. He gained fame as the first magician to win '' America's Got Talent'', in the show’s ninth season. Franco went on ...

and Rico Rodriguez, and consequently won on September 15, 2021. Beating out nine finalist for the million dollar grand prize, Tavella is the third magician to win the show, after Franco and

Shin Lim Liang-Shun Lim (born September 25, 1991), known professionally as Shin Lim, is a Canadian-American magician, recognized for his use of card manipulation and sleight of hand. He is known for elaborate close-up card magic routines, during which h ...

. In 2022, Tavella began headlining ''America's Got Talent Live'', at the

Luxor Las Vegas Luxor Las Vegas is a 30-story casino hotel situated on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The hotel is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International and has a casino with over 2,000 slot machines an ...

the Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city ...

. His own magic show, ''Here Comes Trouble'', incorporates his musical talent. In August 2022, Tavella performed during the first live

season 17 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

Qualifier Results Show, alongside

Sofía Vergara Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara (; born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian and American actress and model. She was the highest paid actress in American television from 2013 to 2020.

and assisted by

Sarah Hyland Sarah Jane Hyland (born November 24, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Born in Manhattan, she attended the Professional Performing Arts School before having small roles in the films '' Private Parts'' (1997), '' Annie'' (1999) and ''Blin ...

Personal life

Tavella lives in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, after moving from

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. He married Kari Gibson in 2018. They adopted two sons, Xander and Sylas, both of whom he centered acts around. A devout Christian, Tavella and his wife have been active with pregnancy crisis and homeless

ministries Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavella, Dustin Living people America's Got Talent winners American magicians 1986 births People from Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Early life and education

Music and magic career

''America's Got Talent''

Personal life

See also

References