13-Year-Old Singing Ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer Talks About “America’s Got Talent” and More

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TAMPA – You wouldn’t guess because of her exuberance and stage presence, qualities that helped her win last year’s award America has talent, but Darci Lynne Farmer was once shy and withdrawn.

“It was tough,” the 13-year-old singer ventriloquist said. “I wouldn’t talk to people. I would hide behind my mom. I wouldn’t look people in the eye.”

Her parents entered her into an international Mini Miss contest, competing in the talent part as a singer. She won in her age group and befriended teenage winner, ventriloquist Laryssa Bonacquisti, which led to her launching into art on her own.

The road started with this experience now leads across the country, most of which she is seeing for the first time. She and a half-dozen furry friends – including a singing bunny, a stuttering mouse, and a duck pretending to be Elvis – have been selling homes ever since she charmed judges and a worldwide audience on television and on YouTube, where she AGT Petunia the singing bunny video Summer time was the fourth most viewed video of the past year.

Darci Lynne still manages to complete her seventh grade job in Oklahoma City, where she lives with her parents and three brothers. Her mother travels with her and helps her stay on track. We caught up with Darci Lynne on the road.

What was your first puppet?

I started with Katie, a doll that I bought on eBay on my 10th birthday. I don’t use it anymore. I have a new Katie now, a real ventriloquist puppet.

Okay, Katie the cowgirl. Your characters can do cheeky things. Oscar played his crush on Mel B, and Edna Doorknocker was quite up front with Simon Cowell. Do you like to create characters that do things you wouldn’t do?

Basically puppets can get away with murder, but you can’t. All of my puppets have their own personality, their own story, and they love what they do. How they say things, sing things, how they speak. I kind of made them out of my own personality. They are all me.

How did you get along with Simon and the other judges?

Edna was my favorite performance. He was so embarrassed. I really enjoyed it turning red. … Before I met him, I was very intimidated because he looks so scary on TV. But he’s absolutely one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He’s very nice. Howie (Mandel) was so funny, and Mel B gave me lots of tips and hugs.

Terry Fator, the first ventriloquist to win America has talent, called you “one of the most amazing and perfect ventriloquists” he has ever seen. And ventriloquist trainer Gary Owen offered to train you for free. What have you learned of them on performance?

Terry gave me advice on a lot of things and told me to go out there and do my best, just like Gary. But my parents played such an important role in all of this and they are kind of my mainstay. Before each show, we always pray with the whole team. This is how they get on my nerves. We are a very loyal family and this is very important.

How has the past year been for you, the tour and all the reservations?

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It was a little crazy. A little breathtaking. I never imagined it would be me. Before, if someone had told me a few years ago that I would be touring America, I never would have believed it. I would have said, “You’re crazy. Not me.”

There must be times when you don’t feel like working out or playing while you go to school. What keeps you going?

First of all, it’s a lot of fun for me. I love doing what I do, I’m very, very passionate about it. What has been so great about all this success is that I have inspired so many people to embrace ventriloquism, especially small children. It made me very happy because that was my initial goal, to try to keep him alive. It makes me happy and excited, and motivates me to keep doing it.

Contact Andrew Meacham at [email protected] or (727) 892-2248. Follow @ torch437.

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