'AGT' Season 19: Watch The Reklaws's OG song land Canadian Country sibling duo in trouble ahead of finale
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: Country duo The Reklaws decided to change things up for the third night of the 'America's Got Talent' Season 19 quarterfinals with something uptempo to get the crowd moving after their first-round performance of a personal, emotionally charged song. However, did they succeed?
The brother/sister country act is from Canada. When their first song was played on the radio, the girl was employed at Starbucks. The song they sang at their audition was for their mother, "who lost her life to mental health."
View this post on Instagram
This time, the pair performed a lively original party song called "Long Live the Night." In Canada, these two already have respectable careers going. This rendition has the potential to be a sing-along hit and is rather lively. Will their heartfelt performance be enough to win them over to the judges?
Howie Mandel said that he preferred their first performance to this one, however, Sofia Vergara complimented them on their desire to sing unique music after hearing their song "Love Live the Night."
Simon Cowell praised them as "very talented," but he believes they should have chosen a "midway song" instead of the huge song that closes a performance. In his words, "It’s not the song that’s going to end the concert."
Heidi Klum praised them for how they've raised their game throughout their careers.
The Reklaws honored their late mother during the 'AGT' Season 19 audition
The sheer skill and heartfelt message of The Reklaws' original country song moved several in the 'AGT' audience to tears, prompting Judge Simon to describe the moving performance as "the kind of audition we love on this show."
During their auditions, the Reklaws, who are siblings Jenna and Stuart "Stu" Walker, sang a sorrowful yet inspirational song about life's darkest days to remember their late mother and bring hope to people battling with their mental health.
"We’ve been back and forth trying to decide what song to do. We wanted it to be a song specifically about our mom," Jenna explained before approaching the stage. "We lost our mom to mental health, and that shook up our world."
Stu noted that their mother's death in 2022 was "a very tough time for our family." “We just wanted to acknowledge that to people that are going through tough times,” he stated.
How did 'AGT' Season 19 Country duo The Reklaws get their name?
The Canadian pair began singing as children on the Yee Haw Adventure Farm in Cambridge, Ontario, a fun-filled family attraction managed by their parents that included a pumpkin patch, a 10-acre corn maze, and boisterous pig races.
Jenna and Stu made their first appearance on stage during the pig races, doing a "half-time" performance for the audience.
Their mother helped them come up with the moniker The Reklaws, which is just their last name spelled backwards with an "s" at the end.
'AGT' Season 19 Country duo The Reklaws found fame on the Canadian circuit
The siblings gradually went out of the pig pen and onto local cafés, venues, and festivals, where they refined their musical abilities and were warmly welcomed by their Canadian fan base. According to their website, their initial single "Long Live the Night" was formerly the theme song for the CFL Thursday Night Football, and their viral TikTok hit "What the Truck" subsequently went platinum.
The Reklaws hosted the Canadian Country Music Awards in 2023, and their 2022 album Good Ol' Days won the title of Top Selling Canadian Album.
'America's Got Talent' Season 19 airs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on NBC at 8 PM ET