It’s hard to believe that I interviewed 13-year-old Darci Lynne Farmer six years ago. In 2018, she was the reigning winner of season 12 of America’s Got Talent proving her skills as an exceptional ventriloquist, puppeteer, and entertainer. Lynne was in town to perform at the Ryman and the Opry.

I remember thinking, “If she can sing that well with her mouth closed, how great she would be singing with her mouth open.”  The answer is, “Very well.”

Lynne recalled, “The day after I won, it was wild. I woke up to a completely different life.”

With her polished, impeccable skills as a ventriloquist along with her clever storylines and dialogue, she continues to amaze her fans of all ages. Her incredible talent is displayed for the world to see when she is on stage.

Even with all the success, Lynne wanted something more. In 2022, she co-starred in her first film, “A Cowgirl’s Song”, alongside Cheryl Ladd, Rachel Cannon, and Savannah Lee May. Not a novice at being in front of a camera, Lynne was a natural as an actress.

The music for the film was produced by Shane Henry and Maggie McClure of The Imaginaries. They even teamed up to sing, “Just Breathe” a song that was featured in the movie.

When Lynne decided to take a leap of faith as a solo artist, she turned to her fellow Oklahomans, Maggie and Shane Henry. Together the three of them wrote the song, “Push Our Luck,” which ultimately would be Lynne’s first single.

The teen shared, “I started writing the song about a year ago and I had written quite a bit of it, but it kind of just needed a little oomph and some help from some pretty seasoned musicians and so I brought it to them and they loved my idea and what I had so far and we kind of just ran with it.”

She said of her new song, “I’m just over the moon about debuting as a singer/songwriter and couldn’t be more thrilled for people to hear ‘Push Our Luck.’ I wrote this song about those first-time feelings when you’re out on a date. I think most of us have stayed out after curfew because we were having so much fun, so I really hope when people listen to this song they’re brought back to a moment, a person, or a time when they pushed their luck.”

She even took a risk and performed her new song on America’s Got Talent Fantasy League a few weeks ago. “I went to the show not necessarily doing the same thing I have been doing for the past seven years.”

It wasn’t what the judges were expecting but she performed without puppets anyway. Even though she didn’t make it past the second round, it was a great chance for America to see her in a new light. She was praised for following her heart.

“I am not quitting ventriloquism and throwing away the puppets. I am kind of just opening another door,” she explained.

Songwriting is very important to Lynne, and she will continue to write in Oklahoma and Nashville as time allows. But right now, a new show in the works will continue to showcase her amazing ventriloquism skills (she is the best I have ever seen) but also include her newfound passion, being a solo artist.

And the multi-talented teen would like to continue to do movies when the opportunity arises.

Once a shy child, Darci Lynne is a natural-born performer. Finding her niche and doing it so effortlessly is what she excels at. But like the rest of us, there is more to her than just one thing. Look for Lynne to continue singing and acting. With a voice that fabulous, it would be a shame if she didn’t.

You can follow Darci Lynn on her website, Instagram, X(Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and all streaming platforms. And check out her super fun TikTok account. She has nearly 5 million followers.

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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X(Twitter).