Fans won’t soon forget how Darci Lynne took the Got Talent world by storm, and it’s unlikely they’ll forget her country rock performance in America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, either.
At just 12 years old, the giggly Oklahoman won Judges over with her ventriloquist act, incorporating laugh-out-loud comedy and song. Now, all grown up, the America’s Got Talent Season 12 Winner hoped to win the Judges over once more, this time with something a little different for her AGT: Fantasy League Semifinals performance.
It was a risky move, changing up the Act that made Got Talent fans fall in love with her, but Darci teaches that, sometimes, artists have to follow their hearts.
Why Did Darci Lynne Perform Without Petunia?
The 19-year-old performer put everything on the line in the AGT: Fantasy League Semifinals by leaving her now-famous puppet companion, Petunia, behind and bringing some original music for Judges. Singing for Heidi Klum’s Dream Team, Darci told producers she wanted to shed her youthful image and prove she could show up for the next stage of success as a purely musical Act.
She recognized that audiences once “connected” with Petunia, but wanted them connect with the true Darci.
“This is just something I feel like I have to do, in my heart,” Darci told Klum.
“There is a risk,” Klum responded. “Now you fall into the category of all the singers, so the pressure, I feel like, is extra.”
Darci admitted it was “definitely disappointing” when Judges didn’t love her initial Got Talent return as much as the ventriloquism that helped her become a household name. Previously on AGT: Fantasy League, Darci sang “I’ve Got the Music in Me” with Petunia by her side, but she wasn’t articulating the puppet. It was a decision that almost sent her home from the competition when it earned mixed reviews from the Judges.
But Darci “completely disregarded” Judges’ advice in the Semifinals, according to Simon Cowell, and maybe that wasn’t so bad for her puppet-less performance.
“You know what? I always believed that the most successful people in life are people who make their own decisions and don’t listen to other people,” Cowell told Darci. “Good for you for sticking with your guns.”
What Song Did Darci Lynne Sing?
Darci had audiences cheering with an original country-rock song she’d written herself called “Push Our Luck.” The lyrics reflected the contestant’s desire to break away from her childhood success, reminding viewers that she’s no longer a 12-year-old girl.
“You tell me I have to go / And I tell you when I get home / Mama’s gonna kill me / Daddy’s sure gonna kill you.”
Darci previously teased the single on her Instagram page, one of several songs Darci and her band were recording. Darci and the gang “had a lot of fun” in the recording studio, goofing around while exacting the get-on-your-feet tune.
“Push Our LUck” first came onto the radar when Darci sang it at the Heard On Hurd street festival in Edmund, Oklahoma, in July 2023, a night that left the singer “still beamin’.”
She shared an acoustic version of the song in the weeks leading up to the live event.
On January 29, 2024, Darci uploaded a clip of the song to her YouTube channel, proclaiming to her million-plus subscribers: “Can’t wait for y’all to blast this in your cars with me!!!”
She certainly had the AGT: Fantasy League audience clapping along when belting the tune in the Semifinals.
“You know, I think as an artist, you need to follow your own instinct. You have to, at some point, not listen to the noise anymore, and you just have to do what’s in our gut,” Klum said following Darci’s AGT: Fantasy League performance. “And that is maybe a risk, but this is what you wanted, and you did it!”
Sadly, it wasn’t enough to help Darci into the top three of the Semifinals. However, Darci keeps her fans apprised of her success as she makes great strides in the music industry.
Watch all-new episodes of America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, airing Mondays at 8/7c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.
