Madelyn Tallent walked onto the America’s Got Talent stage with her guitar and a smile, and her first line already got a laugh. Her last name really is Tallent, she said, and it is on her birth certificate and everything 😄.
Next to her stood Malachi Martin with his banjo. They are just friends, she explained, and Malachi has a wife and a two month old son waiting at home. Both come from Benton, Tennessee, a town of about 1,500 people where there is not much besides dollar stores and churches, and not many musicians.
Madelyn works full time as a waitress at a family owned restaurant called Big Tom’s. The two had only been performing as a duo for six months, and this was by far the biggest crowd they had ever played for.
They chose OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” and turned it into a country song, with Madelyn’s warm voice on top and Malachi’s banjo driving the rhythm 🎶. The audience was on their side from the first chorus.
The judges loved how real they were. One called them authentic, another praised Madelyn’s voice and their chemistry, and the song choice got a thumbs up too.
Simon was more careful. He liked her voice, but said that after only six months the act did not feel ready yet, like a meal that is not done. The other judges disagreed and said that when you see that kind of potential, you start working with it right away. The duo promised they were hard workers ready to polish everything, and they collected the yeses they needed to keep going ❤️.
