Judges and the audience had an emotional moment last night on America's Got Talent when a Hawaii-born musician shared the sad story of her mother's death from cancer.

Lily Meola said that she wrote her original song, "Daydream", when things were going great for her.

"I was essentially living my daydream," she said. "I had a major label record deal. I had a publishing deal. I had butterflies I was hatching. It was magical. It was just so beautiful."

But her life took a terrible turn when her mother became ill and Meola became a full-time caretaker.

"I lost my record deal but I think maybe it was a bit of a blessing because it gave some extra time to be really there for her," Meola told the judges.

Below, you can watch her performance, which culminated in judge Heidi Klum awarding her a "Golden Buzzer".

Whenever that happens, the contestant automatically moves on to the lives show, bypassing other auditions.

In the past, Meola has performed the duet "Will You Remember Mine" with Willie Nelson, who is a family friend. Later, she worked with Canadian producer Bob Rock and performed on a double bill with Jackson Browne.

Below, you can see videos of other performers who've won Golden Buzzers this year from the AGT judges.