Ventriloquist Darci Lynne making tour stop in Beaver Dam

May 6—Singer and ventriloquist Darci Lynne will be performing with her puppet friends at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Beaver Dam Amphitheater as part of her "My Lips Are Sealed (Except When They're Not)" tour.

Lynne, 17, is looking forward to the outdoor venue and entertaining the crowd.

"I'm pumped," Lynne said. "I've been to Kentucky before but I don't think I've ever performed at the Beaver Dam Amphitheater, so I'm excited. I think there's really something about amphitheaters — I mean, they're so cool. I've performed at a couple of them but I always like to keep myself surprised, so I haven't looked up any pictures of the theater or anything because I always like to be surprised when I get there."

Originally featured on NBC's "Little Big Shots" in March 2016, Oklahoma native Lynne, born as Darci Lynne Farmer, auditioned for the 12th season of "America's Got Talent" in 2017, where her audition clip has amassed over 90 million views on YouTube.

"Finding ventriloquism was something that (worked out) for me. It wasn't always something that I was looking for. I just came across it and something clicked and I thought, 'I have to learn how to do that,' " Lynne said. "I think I was meant to find ventriloquism and was meant to go on 'AGT.' "

Lynne, who was 12 at the time, received the Golden Buzzer from judge Mel B, which put Lynne directly into the live quarterfinals and eventually became the winner of the show in the season finale after a total of 52 million votes cast.

Lynne went into the competition without having any big hopes but was happy with how the experience all came together.

"I went into the show with such low expectations, just so low expectations. My intentions were just to share ventriloquism with the world because I love it so much; I wanted people to appreciate it like I did because it was a dying art ... and that's why I wanted to go on the show," Lynne said. "I never expected people to like it as much as I did — the reaction was totally just out-of-the-blue."

After winning the show, Lynne kicked off her first national tour in 2018, which sold out in six minutes and has continued to perform across the country, while also making appearances on the shows "All That," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and the "Today Show."

She also competed on the first season of "America's Got Talent: The Champions" in 2019, where she was the runner-up.

Lynne brings up that there is a lot of work that goes into her act behind-the-scenes such as getting the material for the show together, late-night rehearsals and fine tuning.

"It's a journey, I'll say that. I had a lot of influences, a lot of help putting my show together with me and my family. ... There's a lot that goes into it," Lynne said. "We've had roundtable writing sessions ... and it's kind of a family dynamic; everyone's involved. My parents have helped me write scripts, even my brother, my ventriloquist coach ... We've had different people help with the show."

Lynne said that she and her mother pick out the music that Lynne sings both solo and with the puppets and make sure to choose songs that best fit each puppet's character and personality.

Since becoming a recognized name in entertainment, Lynne said that she's overcome some hurdles in terms of being in the spotlight while juggling her personal life.

"I look back on these last five years and they've just been absolutely crazy in such a good way," Lynne said. "Since I didn't move out to (Los Angeles) or to New York, I really had to balance living in a small city in Oklahoma and going out and being a completely different person and having this completely different life. It's like real-life 'Hannah Montana.' "

But she hasn't lost her love of what brings her joy.

"I love performing and I'm always going to want to perform," Lynne said. "I know if I ever stop performing, it would just be so sad because I love being on stage and I've always had. Whenever I perform, it's always exciting because people are still just in awe of what I do, which is crazy. And just having everyone be so supportive ... is just incredible."

Lynne also said that she is starting to expand her talents by diving into acting and is writing her own music, which four unreleased original songs will be performed during tomorrow's show.

Lynne describes her new touring event, which is about an hour and a half, as a variety show mixed in with comedy, about eight different genres of music played by a live band and will cater to all audiences.

"The show is super special and it's super multi-generational (and) that's what I love most about it," Lynne said. "There's not a lot of entertainment where people can sit down with their kids or their grandparents and watch something together and be fun for everyone."

Lynne said that she has had a number of children arrive to shows with their own puppets telling Lynne how much she's inspired them while adults have told Lynne that she's been a positive influence on their kids.

While Lynne hopes the audience enjoys her show, she wants them to come away with something more.

"I just want people to feel confident in themselves and inspired; that's why I started ventriloquism, because it was something that's not common and it's different and it's unique," Lynne said. "I always want people to feel like they can do anything."

Tickets for tomorrow's show are available at beaverdamamp.com or by calling the box office at 270-274-7106.

For more information about Lynne and her tour, visit darcilynne.com.