Unity's Victory Brinker ready for 'America's Got Talent' semifinals

Time off between rounds of “America’s Got Talent” allowed Victory Brinker a week to just be a kid.

Now the 9-year-old opera powerhouse from Unity is back in California, prepping for her Sept. 7 appearance in the second semifinal round.

The first semifinalists performed Tuesday and the five contestants moving on will be announced at 8 p.m. tonight on NBC.

When Victory returned home for the hiatus with her mother, Christine Brinker, she received a hero’s welcome from her siblings.

“When I got out of the car, I saw my three little brothers and gave them all hugs,” she said. “They were like, ‘Victory!’ ”

Then she spent her time playing with them and her neighbors.

“I did two weeks’ worth of laundry,” her mother added.

Victory left California on a high note, receiving a standing ovation from both audience and judges for her quarterfinal rendition of “Casta diva,” an aria sung in Italian from the Bellini opera “Norma.”

When host Terry Crews told her she was moving on, Victory said, “The waterworks started pouring. I had a look in my eyes that I was crying, but you should have seen my mom.”

Now she’s back down to business, practicing for her next performance.

“It’s a song that she has really loved singing,” Christine Brinker said, but that’s all the pair would reveal.

“I want it to be a surprise,” Victory said.

She works with the show’s music team and a vocal coach and has been doing interviews. She will be tutored by studio teachers when it’s time for school to begin.

Prior to the semifinal show, she’ll meet with the wardrobe department to choose her stage outfit.

Mother and daughter start their days by going to the gym in their hotel, and Victory also likes to spend an hour a day in the pool.

“It relaxes her,” Christine said.

She also brought along a suitcase full of arts and crafts supplies and toys, including her favorite Lego bricks, to fill the down time.

The five finalists chosen from Victory’s round will be announced on Sept. 8, and the Season 16 final will follow on Sept. 14.

Victory has a message for her fans back home: “Thank you for all the lovely support, and don’t forget to vote for me.”