Ludington duo auditions for ‘America’s Got Talent’.

November 18, 2015

 

Emma Taranko and Mallory Shinn

Emma Taranko and Mallory Shinn

 

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — Ludington High School juniors Emma Taranko and Mallory Shinn recently auditioned for the television show “America’s Got Talent” in Detroit. The duo said they enjoyed the experience and will find out if they made it to the next level early next year.

“I think it went really well,” Emma said. “We’re both feeling pretty confident about it.”

Emma is the daughter of John and Amy Taranko and Mallory is the daughter of Patrick and Carleen Shinn. Mallory said they found out about the auditions from a poster they saw at West Shore Community College. “My dad sent in some videos of us and we were accepted for the first round,” Mallory said.

Emma and Mallory have been singing together since their freshman year in high school. “I’ve been playing the guitar since sixth grade and sang on my own in a few places,” Mallory said. “We’ve been singing in church together since we were little and then started playing together around town a couple years ago. We pick up a few gigs here and there.”

The two traveled to Detroit two weeks ago with their fathers. Since they are minors, their parents were required to be in attendance. They said they waited over 9 hours before they were sent into a room with 10 other acts to perform in front of a producer.

Emma and Mallory sang the song “Royals” which was recorded by the artist Lorde.

“We wanted to sing something that showcased our acoustic sound and our harmony,” Emma said.

“The celebrity judges weren’t there,” Mallory said. “Just one person. We were told that if we are accepted that we will be notified in January.” At that time, they will then go on the show in front of the celebrity judges. However, they will not be allowed to publicize that information until after the show airs on TV.

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