Eli Mattson

Mattson was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1981. He has been playing piano since he was five years old as he inherited a battered upright grand from his great grandfather and has been performing, including his own compositions, since the age of fourteen.

With some guidance from his mother, Eli essentially taught himself to play by creating his own music since music instruction books weren't readily available in Cotton. When Eli's family moved to Green Bay in 1984, he received his first formal piano training, and while he impressed his teachers with his abundant natural talent, he wasn't too impressed with what they were offering him.

At age 4, Eli visited his aunt in Chicago who took him to see a blues act at Rosa’s Lounge. He was startled when the band's lead singer approached him and said, “I hear you are a piano player”. Eli took the opportunity to play the blues with the band through the night. From this first onstage experience as a young teenager, he knew for certain performing music would always be the main focus of his life. When Eli was 19, he was awarded a prestigious grant of $30,000 from the Peninsula Arts Association in Wisconsin to help further his music career.

After touring with a country band named David St Romain, he lived in Chicago, playing in piano bars for three years before his national debut on America's Got Talent.

Eli's influences include Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Hornsby, Jimmy Newquist, and Dave Matthews Band.

Eli Mattson's audition in Episode 302 of AGT consisted of singing "Walking in Memphis" while playing the piano. Judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff all voted "Yes," sending Eli to the Vegas Round. Eli Mattson was one of the Music Acts in the Vegas Round. He was sorted into the "Male Singers" category. His performance in Episode 308 was not fully televised, but it consisted of singing Elton John's "Your Song" while playing the piano. Eli's audition was strong enough for the judges to include him in the Top 60 shortlist and to later send him to the Top 40 Quarterfinals in Episode 309.

Eli's Part 4 Quarterfinals performance in Episode 313 consisted of singing Tony Rich's "Nobody Knows" while playing the piano. Eli received enough votes to be sent to the Semifinals in Episode 314 instead of Dorae Saunders. His Part 2 Semifinals performance in Episode 315 consisted of singing Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" while playing the piano. He then received enough votes to be sent to the Top 10 in Episode 316 instead of Sarah Lenore. Eli Mattson's Top 10 performance in Episode 317 consisted of singing Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" while playing the piano. Eli received enough votes to be sent to the Final 5 in Episode 318 instead of Jessica Price.

Eli's Final 5 performance in Episode 319 consisted of singing Phil Collins' "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" while playing the piano. During the finale in Episode 320, he was revealed to have finished in second place in the competition, in front of Queen Emily, Donald Braswell and Nuttin' But Stringz and was the runner up behind Neal E. Boyd.

• Eli Mattson on NBC's America's Got Talent page
• Eli Mattson at Musictoears