It’s been a busy couple months for Old Town’s Lily Muscatell and her musical partner, Lanie Reid, who met in August at a music camp. They’ve learned an extensive repertoire, done a few gigs, and picked up more than 1,500 fans on Facebook.
This week, they’re off to take a shot at the big time, heading with their moms to New York City to audition for the America’s Got Talent TV show.
Muscatell, a senior at John Bapst High School in Bangor, has been performing for years. She is well known locally for helping the seventh grade music appreciation class at the Leonard Middle School write songs annually, copies of which have been sold to raise funds for charity.
At the music camp this summer, a friend introduced Reid, a freshman at John Bapst, to Muscatell. The two talked and hit it off immediately, learning they shared a mutual love of country music.
“We sang the song ‘Something Bad,’ and there was an instant chemistry,” said Muscatell. “So we decided to form a duo.”
The girls dubbed themselves Lily and Lanie, and eventually started posting videos of themselves singing. That caught the eye of disc jockey J.R. Mitchell of country radio station Q106.5, who invited them to perform on the air. That performance was received enthusiastically and gave the girls some confidence; they started picking up a few local gigs.
And they also decided to audition for America’s Got Talent. They’ll be heading for New York City this weekend, where they’ll sing Little Big Town’s “Boondocks,” which received more than 1,600 views online the first night they posted it.
“We’ll sing it for the producers, and if we make it past that, we’ll have a TV audition with celebrity judges and a live audience,” said Muscatell. “We’re both a little nervous, but mostly excited. If nothing else, it will be an amazing experience.”
Muscatell has long dreamed of going to Nashville to record and perform, and she intends to still pursue that dream after graduating this spring. But for now, she is going to continue to enjoy singing with Reid, regardless of the outcome of this weekend.
“It’s been fun. I love music and just want to continue singing and performing,” she said.