{"id":1117,"date":"2025-01-28T13:46:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T13:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/story15.com\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2025-01-28T13:46:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T13:46:19","slug":"simon-cowells-jaw-drops-as-darci-lynne-stands-her-ground-with-a-bold-solo-performance-in-agt-semifinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/story15.com\/?p=1117","title":{"rendered":"Simon Cowell\u2019s jaw drops as Darci Lynne stands her ground with a bold solo performance in AGT semifinals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Darci Lynne\u00a0knew she had to trust her gut for her\u00a0America\u2019s Got Talent: Fantasy League<\/em>\u00a0semifinals performance \u2014 even if things didn\u2019t go her way.<\/p>\n

During Monday\u2019s episode of the\u00a0America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em>\u00a0spinoff,\u00a0the 19-year-old ventriloquist \u2014 who competed on and\u00a0won the 12th season of\u00a0AGT<\/em>\u00a0in 2017 \u2014 shocked audiences when she decided to abandon her puppet and perform an original song solo.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The move both surprised and impressed the judges, who initially questioned Darci\u2019s intentions before praising her for forging her own path, despite their previous feedback.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple weeks ago, Darci did less of ventriloquism and more singing, and we said we think that\u2019s a big mistake,\u201d judge\u00a0Simon Cowell\u00a0said after her performance. \u201cAnd so, you completely disregarded our advice, threw away the puppets and decided to come out and do it yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

But for Darci, who was competing on judge\u00a0Heidi Klum\u2019s fantasy team, the choice to shift away from her childish ventriloquist image and embrace her aspiring musician adulthood was one she felt was necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy for a lot of people,\u201d Darci\u00a0recently told PEOPLE\u00a0in an interview to promote the release of her debut single, \u201cPush Our Luck.\u201d \u201cThey all have that 12-year-old in mind whenever my name comes up. And so now it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh my gosh, she\u2019s growing up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mantra is I don\u2019t want to be put in a box or limited in any way,\u201d she continues.\u00a0\u201cSinging always came first. Singing is what I grew up doing as long as I can remember. And then the ventriloquism came around. Now I\u2019m able to step out and be more confident in my own skin without the puppet. I think it was always kind of meant to go down this road \u2026 it\u2019s important that I show this side of me and show that I can hold my own as a solo artist now, singing with my mouth open.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"AMERICA'S<\/div>\n<\/div>
Darci Lynne and Terry Crews on \u2018America\u2019s Got Talent: Fantasy League\u2019.<\/span>Chris Haston\/NBC <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prior to taking the stage, Darci explained in her intro package that she \u201cwas a very shy little girl who had just started ventriloquism when I came to\u00a0AGT<\/em>\u00a0for the first time, but that\u2019s definitely not who I am now. I\u2019m not 12 anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back on her first round performance, where she sang \u201cI\u2019ve Got the Music in Me\u201d and partly abandoned her puppet, Darci remembered how the judges weren\u2019t completely thrilled with the move, with\u00a0Mel B\u00a0telling her afterward, \u201cThe music and everything else overshadowed what you\u2019re so good at.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith that first performance, I was trying to show that I\u2019m more than just a ventriloquist,\u201d Darci explained. \u201cIt just did not go the way that I had wanted it to \u2026 hearing what the judges had to say after my last performance was definitely disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much to her surprise, Darci nabbed the last spot in the semifinals, which made her realize \u201cAmerica is still intrigued\u201d with her and ventriloquism \u2014 but still, she wanted to break away from her little girl image and move toward a more serious music career.<\/p>\n

\u201cVentriloquism connected with so many people and it felt like the puppets really connected with people, but now, with music, I want to connect with people \u2014 with me, like, Darci to person,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

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\"AMERICA'S<\/div>\n<\/div>
Darci Lynne on \u2018America\u2019s Got Talent\u2019 in 2017.<\/span>Trae Patton\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal\/Getty <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even though Coach Heidi felt some hesitation, she was on board with Darci\u2019s decision, telling cameras: \u201cThis is her moment, so I feel like she needs to do what her gut tells her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just something I feel like I have to do in my heart,\u201d Darci later said. \u201cThis is more than just the next step in the competition, it\u2019s the next step in my life. I\u2019m going up against the best of the best, and I want to show everyone that I can earn a place in the finals.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Darci\u2019s upbeat performance, Heidi told her, \u201cYou know, I think as an artist, you need to follow your own instincts. You have to, at some point, not listen to the noise anymore and you just have to do what\u2019s in your gut. And that is maybe a risk, but this is what you wanted and you did it!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"AMERICA'S<\/div>\n<\/div>
Darci Lynne on \u2018America\u2019s Got Talent: Fantasy League\u2019.<\/span>Chris Haston\/NBC <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Howie Mandel\u00a0also praised Darci, even comparing her to host\u00a0Terry Crews. \u201cYou know, we all, as human beings, we have many sides and many things. You\u2019re standing beside a guy who\u2019s not only a great host, but he\u2019s an artist. He\u2019s an athlete. He\u2019s a motivational speaker. Those are all part of him. You\u2019re a singer. You\u2019re a ventriloquist. And thank you for sharing another side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mel said she agreed with Heidi and Howie but noted, \u201cThis is a competition and you have to remember what you came into this with.\u201d After confirming with Darci that the move was her own decision and one that she was happy with, Mel said, \u201cThen I think that\u2019s all that matters!\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Simon offered his feedback and after joking that Darci \u201ccompletely disregarded our advice,\u201d he also praised the teen for her confidence. \u201cYou know what? I always believed the most successful people in life are people who make their own decisions that don\u2019t listen to other people,\u201d he said. \u201cGood for you for sticking with your guns.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"AMERICA'S<\/div>\n<\/div>
Darci Lynne during her first round performance on \u2018America\u2019s Got Talent: Fantasy League\u2019.<\/span>Trae Patton\/NBC <\/p>\n

Though Darci seemingly had the support of the judges behind her, that was unfortunately not enough to push her into the finals. Instead, America voted to put Shadow Ace from Howie\u2019s dream team through to the next round.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Darci Lynne\u00a0knew she had to trust her gut for her\u00a0America\u2019s Got Talent: Fantasy League\u00a0semifinals performance \u2014 even if things didn\u2019t go her way. During Monday\u2019s…<\/p>\n

Continue readingSimon Cowell\u2019s jaw drops as Darci Lynne stands her ground with a bold solo performance in AGT semifinals<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nSimon Cowell\u2019s jaw drops as Darci Lynne stands her ground with a bold solo performance in AGT semifinals -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/story15.com\/?p=1117\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Simon Cowell\u2019s jaw drops as Darci Lynne stands her ground with a bold solo performance in AGT semifinals -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Darci Lynne\u00a0knew she had to trust her gut for her\u00a0America\u2019s Got Talent: Fantasy League\u00a0semifinals performance \u2014 even if things didn\u2019t go her way. 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