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'AGT: Fantasy League' fans claim 'judges blew' Darci Lynne's shot at finale as ventriloquist slammed for switching to singing

'AGT: Fantasy League' judge Mel B said Darci Lynn needs to keep in mind her starting point for the competition

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Darci Lynne initially appeared on 'America's Got Talent' when she was 12 years old and has previously won the competition. For her 'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League' semifinal routine on February 5, she performed an original song while giving up her ventriloquist act, which put off some of the mentors, particularly Simon Cowell, and Mel B.

The judges were furious with Darci as she kept aside the puppets to perform with an electric guitar. Nevertheless, the crowd voted her into the semi-finals.

Darci is preparing to release a single so she's keeping sticking to no-puppet policy. This time, her beloved puppet Petunia did not even make an appearance. This left Heidi Klum very concerned.

Darci left everyone stunned as she sang her original country song instead of doing a cover. The 'AGT' star took to the stage in a black sequin outfit, crooning to her original composition. Her parents were in attendance as they watched their daughter and former winner completely transform.

After Darci's performance, Heidi Klum said, "You need to follow your own instinct. This is what YOU wanted. You did it."

Howie Mandel commented, "Thank you for sharing another side."

Mel B thought that ignoring her strengths was a mistake. But, in the end, she remarked that what counts most is that she is happy.

Simon was giggling because she rejected his advice. He was thrilled with her "sticking to her guns."

'AGT' fans called out Mel B for going after Darci. One viewer wrote, "Mel B obviously hasn't followed her career since she was 12 or she would've known that Darci was branching out and growing up. She did great!" Another user said, "Sometimes the judges are so out of touch. Yes she used the puppets but that was HER singing and I thought that the song tonight was incredible and all Mel B could do is crap all over it. The show is called America’s got TALENT!"

One user tweeted, "Darci was amazing! HOWEVER The judges blew it because they critiqued her decision to sing without puppets but didn't critique her PERFORMANCE! Shame on the judges." A fourth person noted, "Mel B should be Mel D. D for Downer. re: Darci." 

One person added, "nothing wrong with @ItsDarciLynne showing her voice without Ventriloquism. She has already won & wanted to show the viewers her music. Great job Darci!" "Wow, That was an incredible performance by Darci Lynne, Her song push our luck is an amazing song, And it was amazing tonight," wrote another.

'America's Got Talent' winner Darci Lynne drops new single 'Growing Up'

Darci is growing up, especially as she begins a new chapter in her career as a singer/songwriter with the official release of her debut track, "Push Our Luck."

"I started writing music in quarantine, and it's just something that I've come to be super passionate about," she said in an interview with PEOPLE.

"Ventriloquism has brought me so far and blessed me with lots of people who have just kept on this journey with me. So, it's important that I show this side of me and show that I can hold my own as a solo artist now, singing with my mouth open," Darci added.

"I met this one boy that I really liked, and we went out on a date for the first time," Darci recalls of the origins of her new tune 'Push Our Luck,' which she co-wrote with Maggie McClure and Shane Henry. "When I lived with my parents, my curfew was always midnight, and I really did try my best to respect that," she said. 

But in the music video for 'Push Our Luck,' Darci returns to a night when she went out a bit too late. "I wanted the song to paint that picture so clearly," Darci says of the music video, which was filmed in Oklahoma and premiered exclusively on PEOPLE.

Darci's acting abilities are showcased in the music video for 'Push Our Luck,' as well as her live performance on stage. "My mantra is I don't want to be put in a box or limited in any way," says Darci, who still takes singing lessons.

Is 'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League's Darci Lynne single?

Darci had to inform her ex-boyfriend that the song 'Push Our Luck' was inspired by him and their previous relationship. "We're friends, so it's all good," Darci chuckles.

"At the time when we were dating, I showed him the song, and he really liked it. But now we're just friends," she said. 

This is because Darci has a new boyfriend. "It's very new," says a blushing Darci.

“I've only been kind of dating him since December. I actually met him at a wedding. He was really nervous to talk to me. I think that's why I liked him so much. He came up to me and just wanted to tell me how much he appreciated what I do. And I don't think he expected me to give him my number, but there was something about him. He is absolutely wonderful. I really, really like him,” she said. 

What is Darci Lynne up to since winning 'AGT'?

The now-19-year-old singer and a high school graduate is continuing her career by touring with her songs. She headlined the Heard on Hurd music festival in Edmond, Oklahoma (just outside of Oklahoma City), which was described as a "smashing success."

In addition to ventriloquism, singing, and humor, Darci is honing her guitar talents. Darci appears to be capable of anything since she participated in the 2022 Netflix film 'A Cowgirl's Song,' which follows a promising country singer struggling to obtain bail money when her father is wrongly incarcerated.

Darci created the song 'Just Breathe' for the film, which she performed alongside The Imaginaries. Darci's Instagram profile has a variety of live performances, including a version of Bon Jovi's 'Wanted Dead or Alive' in front of the Oklahoma City skyline and a concert in Iowa as part of her My Lips Are Sealed (Except When They're Not) tour, which wrapped up in late 2022.

The joyful youngster often shares TikTok videos of band practice and performances with over 5 million followers. There, viewers may find videos typical of a teenage girl, such as Darci singing Guns N' Roses into a hairbrush before gym class and an original composition with Darci performing an acoustic performance on her dislike for school.

'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League' airs on Mondays on NBC at 8 pm ET