Singer-ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer will perform May 6 at Brown County Music Center.
Photo provided
She won TV’s “America’s Got Talent” show five years ago at age 12 and became world famous, but was so down to earth that the first thing she bought with the $1 million prize was a dishwasher for her Mom. Then she bought a sweet Maltipoo puppy, Binks, for herself.
So singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer — well-known enough now that she goes by just Darci Lynne — had a good laugh when asked if she is in danger of rising up from her Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, hometown and going all Hollywood anytime soon. One might as well inquire if the singing ventriloquist is going to tape her chatty puppets’ mouths shut and push bunny Petunia and others right out of the superstar spotlight.
“Well, my three brothers (one younger) really keep me grounded,” the 17-year-old high school junior said, speaking from her family’s home.
Plus, her parents still hit the road with her when she tours, such as her latest excursion “My Lips Are Sealed (Except When They’re Not)” which stops at Brown County Music Center on May 6. Her all-new, 90-minute show with a live band will feature her soulful, bluesy voice, inspired by everyone from Aretha Franklin to Billie Holiday, in four original tunes that she wrote and probably five different puppets.
“It’s really a multi-generational show for all ages, from 3 to 83” she said, highlighting comedy and more.
The performer who initially wowed the AGT judges — after only two years of training with puppets — with a Broadway-worthy ventriloquism rendition of “Summertime” with Petunia will open her appearance with her own funk tune “My Thing.”
“It’s an upbeat song that makes you really want to move,” she said. “I’m a little biased, of course, because it’s my song, but I love it. It’s about learning to be confident in yourself, feeling comfortable in your own skin, and doing your own thing, honestly.”
The latest song that she penned and made a late addition to her act is “Someone Wake Me Up” about falling in love.
“It’s a funky one, too,” she said. “You know, I don’t think that I have officially found my own sound yet, mainly because I just began writing music only about two years ago. But I think it’s a lot of fun.”
She literally giggled at herself when she considered the idea of a future, full-length album.
“That always been the goal,” Farmer said. “Maybe that will be in the next two years, five years, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. Yes, I want to do that. I just don’t know exactly when.”
She still seems slightly bewildered at seeing America and the world fall in love with her talent, innocence, sweetness and humor. Yet, she openly acknowledged that she has invested long hours in polishing everything from her vocals to her ventriloquism, with plenty of coaching and guidance from other professionals such as ventriloquist Gary Owens. So she wasn’t necessarily incredibly surprised at her victory, and being the youngest contestant ever to win “America’s Got Talent.”
But she is humble enough that, when told that most people are still stunned by her singing without moving her lips, she gushed a couple of heartfelt thank yous.
“I worked day and night on those routines,” she said. “I wanted it really bad. And when I put my mind to it, I really want something, I go for it.”
Though she got help with her original comedy, she writes much of her own material now.
“And I’m really proud of that aspect of this show,” Farmer said. “It has a lot of my own ideas and influences, so I am super proud of it. Now, I still think, though, that it’s fun to work with other people and be collaborative.”
Her song “Just Breathe” is part of a just-released movie “A Cowgirl’s Song.” Plus, she just acted in a brief scene in a Ronald Reagan biopic. She played a teen girl pretending to be drowning as a young Reagan as a lifeguard saves her.
She’d have to be faking.
Because, after all, Darci Lynne Farmer’s life and career seem to be going along quite swimmingly.
