America’s Got Talent 2024: The Reklaws Share Mental Health Message with “People Don’t Talk About”
America’s Got Talent auditions continued on to week 3 on Tuesday night (June 11). This episode had the most talent of any episode so far. A few of my favorites came out of this episode including a country music sibling duo, The Reklaws. I am not even a country music fan, but I found their audition powerful, as it shared a message about mental health. It’s a topic that resonates and needs to be talked about more. (Read our Recap)
The Reklaws consist of siblings, Jenna Walker and Stuart Walker who hail from Toronto, Canada. They grew up in Kirkwall, Ontario on an “adventure farm.” People traveled to visit the corn mazes, pumpkin patches and more. The duo would play at the pig races. Their mom named the band as Reklaw, which is Walker spelled backwards. They were unsure of what song to perform for their audition, but they wanted to do a song about their mom whom they lost in 2022 to mental health.
The Reklaws have notched No 1s in Canada, and collaborated with AGT alum Drake Milligan
What the video package does not mention is that this duo has had 4 #1’s on the Canada country charts including their collaboration with America’s Got Talent’s very own Drake Milligan titled “Honky Tonkin’ About.” (Watch the official music video HERE). Drake finished in 3rd place in Season 17 which took place in 2022. The duo has several other accolades in the Canada country music scene. It is likely that they joined the show for some extra publicity to break into the American country music scene.
They sang their original song, “People Don’t Talk About,” for their audition. Jenna shared on stage that they wrote it as their family has been through a lot of stuff they “kind of didn’t feel comfortable talking about.” Stuart added, “Us at 17 would have loved to hear this song.” Stuart has a deep country sound. Jenna’s tone is lighter but with impressive range. They harmonize gorgeously, and they present relatable well-penned. Jenna hits some fabulous belting notes to top it all off. Their voices simply cut through. It’s a beautiful moment.
Simon Cowell called The Reklaws audition “unbelievably powerful”
The judges and crowd applaud them. Howie Mandel said, “you’re singing and you’re writing is impeccable”. He related to the lyrics, calling the song “important.” They earned a rare stamp of approval from him as he usually shows disdain for original songs on the show. Heidi Klum liked the song and liked that they are siblings. She said, “I feel you deserve it.” Sofia Vergara called it “a big treat for all of us.” Simon Cowell described the audition as “unbelievably powerful.” All four judges give them a yes. The duo is grateful their message was heard.
The Reklaws audition was one of my favorite moments of the season so far. It’s rare that we see an original of this level on the AGT stage. Speaking of singers, another standout was Dee Dee Simon’s powerhouse take on “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”. Also, it wa cool how mountain biker Andrei Burton incorporated both the outside and inside of the set. Other impressive acts included Brazilian b-boy dancer Bboy Samuka who performs on one leg, Sofia’s Golden Buzzer which was Argentinian malambo dance crew Legion, and Roni Sagi & Rhythm who were a refreshing dog act. I don’t believe we have seen a dog involved in a dancing act before.
