Bird & Byron, a duo made up of childhood friends Blake Bergere and Nick Lorenz from New Albany, Ohio, secured a place in the live rounds of "America's Got Talent" season 21 after performing an original song, "By My Side," during the Judges' Callbacks round. The performance mattered because the pair had entered the round facing possible elimination, having reached this stage via a new second-chance format for acts that had already earned "Yes" votes in the regular auditions.

Judge Howie Mandel praised the song as "haunting" and highly original but, alongside guest advisor Nikki Glaser, urged Bergere to open his eyes and connect more with the audience rather than performing with them closed. Despite reservations about showmanship, Mandel ultimately advanced the duo to the Live Quarterfilnals, which begin on 18 August on NBC and stream the following day on Peacock, alongside acts including Nene Royal, Cris Sosa and Daniel Alvarez, while others such as Naimana and Daniele, and Rynia Kando were eliminated.