Vocalist auditions open now through May 25

SVHS senior Whitnee Hale was named as the winner of Teen Vocalist Saturday night. Hale received the majority vote from the three on-stage judges and the auditorium audience following her second round performance of “The Power of the Dream” by Celine Dion. 

“I’m so excited, thank you!,” said after winning the competition, which is sponsored by Randy Thompson State Farm Insurance. “I’m going to use the money to save for college, for sure.”

Hale is the recipient of the $1,000 grand prize (provided by Skyview Lanes & Cineplex) and will be invited to compete in The Vocalist Wildcard competition on July 2 for a chance to advance to the main Vocalist event during the Lincoln County Fair on August 8. The winner in August will take home a $10,000 prize. 

Grant Buchanan, Bria Jack and Anson Robinson all advanced to the final round of Teen Vocalist, with Robinson finishing as the runner-up. Additional contestants included Joshua Baird, Maya Allred, Vivian Barrett and Weston Stucki. Each contestant performed a solo song in the opening round. The three judges, combined with an audience vote, determined which contents would advance to the second round. Following the second performance from each of the four finalist, votes from the judges and audience were again combined to select Hale as the winner. 

The evening also included a performance by the 2021 Teen Vocalist runner-up winner, Allie Jack, and the 2021 Vocalist Erik Dalton. The archive of SVI Media’s video broadcast of the entire show can be viewed at SVInews.com.

This year’s Celebrity Judge was also announced for the August 8 Vocalist competition. Singer and ventriloquist Darci Lynne will be on stage as one of three judges and will also perform a mini concert as part of the event. 

Lynne is the youngest contestant to ever win NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” garnering over 87 million views on AGT’s YouTube and the most votes for a final performance in the history of the show. In 2018 she kicked off her national tour selling out her first headlining family friendly show in just six minutes. On the heels of a record-breaking 2020, the gifted Singer/Ventriloquist Darci Lynne has kicked off her 2021 “My Lips Are Sealed (Except When They’re Not)” national tour where she is sharing her passion for performance and bringing her enchanting show from New York to Nevada. 

Along with Darci’s incredible voice, she plans to bring her ventriloquist puppets with her on August 8. Lynne is most known for her singing ability while performing ventriloquism, and her comedic, family friendly shows.  

For those wishing at a chance to join Darci Lynne on stage as one of eight singers competing for the $10,000 prize, auditions are currently open until May 25. Audition details and further information can be found at TheVocalistUSA.com.

Look for more coverage of Teen Vocalist with a two page feature in the May 11 edition of the Star Valley Independent.