Benton Blount at the “America’s Got Talent” finale post-show red carpet at Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 16, 2015 in New York. (Photo by Ben Hider/Invision/AP)To audition
› What: NBC television series “America’s Got Talent”› When: 7 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30› Where: Omni Hotel inCNN Center, 100 CNN Center NW, Atlanta› Website: www.americasgottalentauditions.com/audition-cities/atlanta”>
Benton Blount, a finalist on last season’s “America’s Got Talent” series has some friendly advice for anyone hoping to be a contestant on next year’s show. The Nashville-based singer/songwriter was in town doing interviews to promote an audition Jan. 30 at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta’s CNN Center in Atlanta. He stopped by the Times Free Press to answer questions and sing a song or two.
First off, he suggests anyone thinking of trying out should be prepared.
Simple, right?
“Come prepared obviously,” he says. “Whatever your skill is, your talent, make sure that you have a routine prepared so that you can come in do the best that you can do because you have one shot in front of them so you want to make it the best possible.
“And, at the same time be yourself and be comfortable, which doesn’t sound like those two or possible. Practice beforehand, get ready and go in and be yourself.”
Whether you are a magician or a singer, it’s important to have enough material to make it through multiple shows, Blount says, but you also need enough variety to wow the judges with something new at each one.
Blount, 36, is a singer and, for an early audition on “America’s Got Talent,” he did Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away.” In a later episode he did a version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” changing the lyrics to be more gender appropriate. He says doing a song very familiar to people can be a risk, but it’s a risk worth taking.
“As a singer, I felt like I had to do something a little different,” he says, “because there were so many amazing talents on the show outside just somebody who sings.” So every week, he was trying to find something that set him apart.
“America’s Got Talent” “was a whirlwind” that came and went faster than he imagined.
‘I learned a lot from being on it and enjoyed the people I worked with,” he says. Making the finals was also helped his career.
“I’ve been trying to make it a career playing music for almost 15 years now and you definitely go through periods of your life where, if you’ve worked very hard and you reach a point where if you haven’t gotten there, you doubt if you are good enough,” he says. “Me being the only solo vocalist to be at the end of the show was a confidence boost.”
Since the show, Blount has been performing around the country. He’s also recorded a video for his “God Talks To Me.”
But a good deal of his time is spent being a stay-at-home dad to son Jaxon, and he found out during a taping of “America Got Talent” that he and wife, Ashley, are expecting a baby girl.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.