While TV talent shows are an excellent platform for new talents to become known, out of the box abilities are rarely found even in these productions. That being said, young ventriloquist Darci Lynne’s participation in “America’s Got Talent” not only changed the expectation of what to see in these types of shows, but also demonstrated there’s nothing impossible for people who really work hard for their dreams.
Becoming a sensation in the world of ventriloquism and singing overnight was quite an accomplishment, but Darci’s popularity and ability to inspire others rarely heard of in today’s entertainment world, is what really made her so unforgettable.
So what exactly has she been doing since “America’s Got Talent” ended? Stay here to know all about Darci’s whereabouts, career accomplishments, personal life and so much more!
Where Is She Now?
After becoming the youngest winner in “America’s Got Talent” history in 2017, lots of great things have come to Darci Lynne’s life. Her unbelievable talent as a singer, ventriloquist and general entertainer has given her lots of media coverage in shows such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, “Today” and “Nickelodeon’s Unfiltered”.
Darci has also encompassed several successful US tours, such as the 2018’s “Darci Lynne and Friends Live” and “My Lips Are Sealed” in 2021. As well, Darci has debuted in acting, with appearances in the series “Side Hustle” and “Fancy Nancy”, along with co-starring as Brooke Mays in the 2022 Netflix movie “A Cowgirl’s Song”. The movie was Darci’s first big screen feature and allowed her to deeply connect with her character, for whom she co-wrote the song “Just Breathe” on the film’s set: ‘It’s just that journey of being kicked down and realizing, ‘Okay, you know what? I just got to trust myself and to trust my heart’,’ she said in an interview with Beautiful Ballad.
Also in 2022, celebrated her 18th birthday in October that year, and Darci matriculated from high school; she’s definitely doing as well as ever nowadays.
Appearance In “America’s Got Talent”
Fame, money and a juicy musical contract are just a couple of the great things that “America’s Got Talent” have in store for its winners, but getting there is a hard path which usually takes many years of preparation even for those who are extremely talented.
Nonetheless, one of the things which makes Darci Lynne’s victory so special is how young she was when she participated in the show during its 12th season in 2017. Her comedy-filled ventriloquist act, with the song “Summertime” from the opera “Porgy and Bess”, gained her a Golden Buzzer from judge Mel B, and the audition’s video trended on several online platforms. Her second appearance introduced the audience to her puppet Oscar, a mouse which sang “Who’s Lovin’ You” by The Jackson 5 with her. The heartfelt interpretation gained her another standing ovation, and a direct pass to the semi-finals, where she performed “You Make Me Feel Like” by Aretha Franklin, added to a comedy act with her doll Edna Doorknocker.
Darci’s impressive act advanced her to the finals, singing “With a Little Help from My Friends” by The Beatles with two puppets. Lastly, Darci sang “Anything You Can Do” from the 1950s film “Annie Get Your Gun” and won the show, happily becoming at 12 years old the youngest one to ever do so.
Second Run In The Show
Just two years after her memorable “America’s Got Talent” victory, Darci Lynne came back to prove her talents, this time in the spin-off “The Champions”. Despite her wonderful interpretation of “Nutbush City Limits” by Tina Turner, Darci was unfortunately eliminated from the competition after ending second in the audience’s voting.
However, Darci’s performance left such a good impression on the judges, that she was elected as a wild-card to return to the show’s grand final, when she sang the opera “O mio babbino caro” accompanied by her puppet Petunia. The act immediately sent her to the finale, where her performance of Barry Manilow’s “Can’t Smile Without You” secured her a big percentage of the audience’s votes, defeating big names in the competition such as Susan Boyle, but losing tot magician Shin Lim.
Despite ending second in the competition, she was pleased with the experience: ‘(it was) incredible and I never would have thought I’d do THAT. Being second best in the whole world is a cool thing’, she told The Oklahoman later that year. While Darci’s fans surely would have wanted her to win the competition, it’s undeniable that she did a great job, regardless of the results.
Who Is Darci Lynne?
Becoming famous through a TV show is a great start for anyone looking for a place in the entertainment world. That applies to the hugely talented Darci Lynne, even though her beginnings as a performer weren’t as easy as people assume.
Born in October 2004 in Oklahoma, Darci Lynne Farmer’s love for singing was evident from her early childhood, but her shyness was an important obstacle in her way. Thinking that pageant competitions were the perfect way to overcome her timidity, Darci’s mother signed her daughter up for some events which didn’t require make-up or extravagant dresses. Slowly but steadily, Darci’s fear of performing in public became a thing of the past, using some of her early developed talents such in gymnastics and singing to win many important contests.
It wasn’t long until Darci was introduced to ventriloquism, rapidly learning the art, and mixing it with her love for singing and acting, to create something great. The one to inspire Darci in following this path was her fellow beauty pageant contestant Laryssa Bonacquisti, whom she met in 2013: ‘I just watched and watched her. I was just super fascinated because I really wanted to learn how to do it’, she said in an interview with The Oklahoman in 2017.
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Rise To Fame
Despite winning important pageant contests, Darci Lynne wasn’t quite there when it came to ventriloquism until 2014. Her first experience in this art came when she joined the “Edmond’s Got Talent” event in her native Oklahoma, surprising the judges with her skills at singing and yodeling. At the time Darci had practiced her ventriloquism act by herself for barely a month. but that didn’t stop her from winning the competition, and more importantly, attracting the attention of professional ventriloquist Gary Owen, who helped to improve Darci’s natural talents.
Nonetheless, Darci didn’t gain nationwide fame until she appeared in “Little Big Shots” in 2016, performing Patsy Montana’s “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” along with her cowgirl puppet Katie.
Her viral performance eventually opened the door to later that year setting foot on the stage of the International Ventriloquists’ ConVENTion at the Vent Haven Museum, becoming at age 12 the first child to ever do so. By sharing the stage with famous ventriloquists such as Kevin Johnson, Darci’s name quickly gained recognition, and another important appearance on TV, this time on the stage of the British version of “Little Big Shots”. All of these performances spread the word about Darci’s talents, and were a more than great start before setting foot on the stage of “America’s Got Talent” less than a year after.
Where Else Has She Performed?
Following her victory in “America’s Got Talent” in 2017, Darci Lynne became one of the most acclaimed new acts in the US. Her headline show in the Las Vegas part of her prize was sold out in no time, leaving no other option than to add additional dates, on top of becoming popular enough to be invited onto “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” soon afterwards.
Another one of Darci’s important media features was in the video “The Haunted House on Dunham Hill”, starring professional ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, making a special appearance in Terry Fator’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino show, and singing at A Very Pentatonix Christmas, headlined by Pentatonix.
As her popularity grew, Darci started her tour Darci Lynne and Friends Live, initially planned to end in early 2018, but extended by public demand to 2019. The next couple of years saw Darci performing in Madison Square Garden, Caesars Palace, and appearing in the 2018 Kids’ Choice Awards.
In April 2018, Darci made her long awaited comeback to “Little Big Shots” after two years, performing The Isley Brothers’ song “Shout” with her puppet Oscar, famous for its appearances in “America’s Got Talent” during her run.
Remember when Katie and I were almost the same size?! 😂 I can’t believe we’ve been performing together for so long!! pic.twitter.com/dkTn1N3Goj
— Darci Lynne (@ItsDarciLynne) January 16, 2021
Acting
Ventriloquism surely requires lots of skills when it comes to acting, so it’s not a wonder that Darci Lynne eventually proved her talent in this art as well. Her first role was voicing Daisy for the animated show “Fancy Nancy” in 2018, also making a brief cameo the same year in the drama series “This Is Us”.
In 2020, Darci played a double role by voicing herself and her puppet Petunia in the episode “Too Many Dummies!” of the TV cartoon show “Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?”. Then she was The Wombat, a store check for whom the “Side Hustle”s cast worked in its first season episode. Although Darci kept away from acting while her tour “My Lips Are Sealed” was in progress, in 2022 she took back her role as Daisy in “Fancy Nancy”, in two episodes of the third season.
While Darci’s roles had been a good experience altogether, so far her most important acting job has been in the movie “A Cowgirl’s Song”, but there’s a lot of expectation as she’s to appear in the yet-to-be released “Reagan”, a Ronald Reagan biopic in which she plays the role of a young swimmer whom the former US president saved in his youth. All in all, Darci seems to have a very promising acting career ahead of her.
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Music
Despite her otherworldly talent at singing, Darci’s original music repertoire is quite limited to date. Her earliest official music release is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, a live- cover album from the NBC holiday show “My Hometown Christmas Special” in 2018.
In 2022 her repertoire expanded with “Just Breather”, an original song from the movie “A Cowgirl’s Song” which she performed with folk band The Imaginaries, whose members Shane Henry and Maggie McClure co-wrote the song, which was a new but learning experience for Darci: ‘they’ve been writing for years, and I’m super new to this. I only started two years ago, so it’s fun to see their perspectives on everything’, she told the website Beautiful Ballad.
While Darci hasn’t revealed much about her song-writing processes, in late 2022 she took her fans by surprise with “Someone Wake Me Up”, an original song she performed on an Instagram video, and described as a way of ‘getting something off her chest”. The song hasn’t been officially released yet, just as several of her original songs she usually performs on her ventriloquism shows, but it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think Darci is possibly planning on releasing music projects in the near future.
Influences
Despite winning her “America’s Got Talent” season at only 12 years old, Darci Lynne has managed to keep her young celebrity status without controversy. Becoming an inspiration to others through her actions and talent is a huge deal in itself in the entertainment industry, but even someone as scandal-free as Darci admits the way hasn’t been easy for her, especially when it comes to her religious views: ‘It’s hard to be a Christian in this business. It’s very pressuring, and it’s not that cool’, she said in an interview with The Alabama Baptist in 2022.
Tight schedules and long tours are usually hard to handle, but Darci does her best at keeping in touch with her Church, and admitted she’s considering including her faith in her career: ‘Even outside of my shows, I want to think on opportunities and moments where I can share what I believe in with other people, especially the kids I inspire’, she affirmed, so her loyal audience knows what to expect in this matter in the future.
Media Usage & Future
Undoubtedly, part of Darci Lynne’s success is owed to social media. Early in her career, her videos went viral enough to gain her several invitations to important TV shows and the like.
Fast forward from the time she won “America’s Got Talent”, Darci has gained a huge following on social media, accumulating 1.6 million followers on Facebook and over 900,000 on Instagram. Her social media isn’t only a simple way of reaching her audience of all ages, but also to share the most special moments of her life with her fans, on top of promoting her shows and merchandise through it.
While Darci is currently working on new projects, only time will tell if she’ll switch her focus to music or acting or simply stay in ventriloquism. Nonetheless, whatever she’ll do in the future, it’s for sure that Darci will continue to inspire us all with her talent and kind heart for a long time to come.
