The Atlanta-based, genre-bending country quartet The BoykinZ – comprised of sisters Kylan, 23, Anale, 22, Nytere, 20, and Alona, 18 – return to the America’s Got Talent stage tonight after winning Terry Crews’ final Golden Buzzer for Season 20 during auditions.
“We see it like a Super Bowl,” Alona says of The BoykinZ’s decision to audition. “You perform on the big stage in front of everybody, but it’s reaching people all across the world, especially through media. And even the youth, we definitely want them to see us and to see us in them. We definitely want to reach everyone, and so it’s a great platform to reach the world.”
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The Golden Buzzer-winning, high-energy song that they sang and danced to — “Fell in Love with a Cowboy” — was an original. And it got quite a boost after it aired on AGT.
“Oh, my gosh, it just blew up,” Nytere told Parade.
And Alona added, “It definitely gave it a boost. But knowing that people liked the song was very honoring to hear because we’re just like, ‘Okay, we’re performing an original, usually people want to hear covers, but this is going to be our first time, we want to come out with a bang.’ And it was well received from the crowd and the judges, and now we’re seeing the views go up on YouTube.
With the song making a great impression, the quartet are prepping for their quarterfinal live show appearance tonight, and they have an unusual way of doing so.
“We have been in the gym, and we have been working on harmonies,” Kylan said.
“We’ve been climbing mountains,” Nytere added.
“We live close to Stone Mountain, so yes, we’ve been climbing that mountain, and putting a lot of thought into this next performance,” Kylan explained. “We hope people really look forward to another big one. We love to dance, so I’m sure you’ll get some dancing in the next one.”
“We expect to get them out of their seats on this one,” Anale said.
“Energy, receive energy,” Alona added. “It’s go big or go home with this one, so we’re ready for the live shows. We’re prepared.”
Before the quarterfinals tonight, here’s more of what The BoykinZ said during their Parade chat about what meeting judge Mel B meant to them, how they’d spend the $1 million prize and if they know previous contestants Chapel Hart.
Related:Watch the Rising Country Sister Group Who Won Terry Crews’ Final Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent Season 20
Talk about the decision to come to America’s Got Talent. What did you think that the show would be able to do for you?
Anale: Initially, we were kind of hesitant. We’ve seen this show growing up and we’ve imagined ourselves being on that stage auditioning, but I never really thought we’d actually do it.
Kylan: Our online supporters would encourage us to do it. They were like, “Oh, y’all sound amazing, y’all really need to be on America’s Got Talent,” and we’d say, “Okay, okay.” And then when the opportunity presented itself, we were like, “Okay, girls, I think it’s time.”
You got the opportunity to meet Mel B backstage. She didn’t have a Golden Buzzer left, so she couldn’t push for you. What was that like? I assume that she was somebody that you admired.
Anale: Absolutely!
Kylan: Yes, the Spice Girl. There was a doll we had around here. I mean, we grew up studying that band, and I mean, Mel B, just as a Black girl to Black girl, it was just amazing to see her shine her light the way she did in that band.
Anale: And in person, she’s just got so much beautiful energy.
Nytere: She’s gorgeous, yeah!
Alona: She’s so radiant. The light, it literally shines on her with her big, brown hair.
Anale: Yes!
Alona: Flawless.
Anale: Yeah, she’s flawless, and her honesty, I love. She’s just real, wherever she goes and how she carries herself.
Nytere: I’m glad she gave us a great review.
Anale: Yeah! Yeah, that was the ultimate compliment.
Related: Who Went Home on America’s Got Talent Tonight and Who Made the Semifinals?
Last season, Terry Crews only got one Golden Buzzer. But at the point where you performed, Howie Mandel was the only judge who had a Golden Buzzer left. I think they made an exception to give you a Golden Buzzer. What does that feel like, to know that the audience was so behind you that they were pushing for you to have that?
Nytere: Oh, we felt so honored because we were so honed in on our performance. We didn’t really pay attention to the audience and what they were saying, talking about a Golden Buzzer. So, when we heard it on TV, we were like…
Kylan: …“that’s what they were saying!?”
Nytere: “Oh, my gosh!”
Anale: “They were saying that!?” Yeah, it was shocking, like that’s what they were saying.
Nytere: We felt honored.
Anale: We knew they were happy, and they were on their feet, and they loved the song and they were rocking with it, but to know they were saying, “Golden Buzzer!” They were helping us, they were demanding it. And Terry Crews rushing out there, I like to say like a WWE wrestler, and he smashed that button and tears fell. It was an awesome moment.
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC
You have a record deal. So, what is it that you’re hoping that AGT will do for you?
Anale: I feel like AGT is connecting us to people around the world, exposing us to the people who would like to hear us or see us, and it’s giving us an opportunity and a platform to be seen. I feel like we’ve done as much as we can online and our videos, and it’s still getting pieces of the world, but a platform like America’s Got Talent, it’s really hitting the world and so it’s really exposing us.
If you win the million dollars, what are you going to do with it?
Alona: Oh, my goodness.
Kylan: Well, we have a big family.
Nytere: Seven of us, yes.
Kylan: We’ve talked about it with each other, and we’d definitely like to finance a house, pay off some debt. We’re in school, we’re college students, so take care of our schooling.
That’s smart, but what about one fun thing?
Nytere: I want to go on vacation! We’ve been working hard!
Alona: Yeah, I definitely want to pour into our parents and our family and our brothers and make sure, okay, y’all get what you want, but have vacation, relaxing times. Let’s enjoy family together since we work a lot.
Kylan: I could use a vehicle. I drive the family truck.
Anale: Trucker K.
Nytere: Yeah, Trucker K.
Kylan: It’s not the cutest, but it’s all right.
Anale: I love fashion, I style the girls, so I would love to get a lot of different materials. I love my rhinestone and it’s expensive. And the sequins, just to continue to make things, so I would get all things fashion.
Related: Who Won Simon Cowell’s America’s Got Talent Live Golden Buzzer Tonight?
You have a big family. Do they all sing? At what age did you start singing? How did you develop your musical style?
Kylan: Our parents started us out, we were very young. Alona was five, Nytere was eight, Anale nine, and I was 10. We’ve been doing this for about over a decade.
Anale: Fourteen. Around 14 years.
Kylan: Around 14 years. Our parents had an after-school program and summer camp that had the arts, from singing, dancing, acting, even sports, and so we were raised throughout that and our gifts were developed through that.
Anale: We were born into it.
Kylan: Yes, born into it. Our dad noticed that we could sing, you know? They were always pouring into other children’s gifts and would form groups with them, but he realized that, “Wait, we got something in the house.”
Anale: We were singing some Disney tune in our room; we think it was probably The Chipettes or something like.
Alona: Most probably, or The Cheetah Girls.
Anale: Or The Cheetah Girls, harmonizing. We were an unofficial band before we became an official band, so he heard us singing something and he’s telling my mom, “I think we got something.” And mom taught us to harmonize and to write.
Alona: And same for our brothers, our brothers are gamers. One of them likes to sing as well, and he definitely dances, but they’re definitely creatives. And our oldest brother, he likes to body build.
Anale: And technology and stuff like that. So, they have the gift, they can hold a tune but they’re interested in other things.
You’re all wearing cowboy hats, but your music isn’t just country. How would you describe it?
Nytere: Yeah, we call it country infused. So, it’s infused with pop, Western, R&B, am I missing anything? And soul.
When you first came on, I thought, “Oh, this is sort of like Chapel Hart.” Do you know them?
Anale: We love Chapel Hart!
Alona: The first time we ever saw Chapel Hart on AGT, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was so beautiful watching them perform on stage with their own Western gear on, three beautiful Black women performing and having their own country song, “Jolene,” remix that they did.
Anale: Yeah, they were awesome.
Alona: So beautiful. And so, when we heard them, we were like, “We gotta meet them.” Then we met them, we watched them perform live, and they’re just so beautiful. They’ve got beautiful spirits, they sound amazing, but just to be around beautiful women like that, it just reminded us, “Okay, this is what we do for a living.” This has shown more girls, you can do this, too.
Anale: Yeah, watching them on TV was…
Nytere: …historical. I feel like a door opened.
Kylan: We were right here in this living room like, “What?”
Anale: Right, and it was also an emotional experience just watching them. I could feel and see their hearts. And then we met them for the first time in person at the CMT red carpet, I believe.
Anale: And they were even more wonderful. The kindest people on planet Earth really, they’re really awesome and beautiful.
I understand you also met Shania Twain on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and she gave you little boost.
Anale: Yes! We love Shania!
Kylan: Kelly really surprised us with that one. We were not expecting this woman to walk out and she did.
Nytere: She invited us to perform with her.
Kylan: Yes, like “What!?”
Anale: Yeah, it was surreal. I keep using the same word, I don’t have another word for it, but Shania Twain was amazing. Getting to perform with her on two different occasions, because she invited us to do the CMT Award show, she’s amazing.
Kylan: Yeah, ever since then, she has been just so very supportive. She’s been sharing our music, and we can’t wait to get back with her.
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC
Are you doing music full-time now? Are you making a living at it, or do you still have to have day jobs?
Alona: Oh, full time.
Kylan: This is full time.
Nytere: This is the job!
Anale: This is the job. Happily, thankfully, I’m so glad this is. And then of course when school picks back up, you will be back finishing your last year of high school, but we’re all college students.
Is music your major?
All: No.
Kylan: We figured we’re doing that as a living, we might as well go to school…
Anale: …to learn more about what we’re doing. I’m learning about entertainment law because I want to know more about the business of what we’ve got going on. I love what we do.
Nytere: I do physical science, I’m into workout, fitness, health.
Kylan: And mine is organizational leadership, so it’s more on the leadership side of management.
Anale: She’s our natural-born leader. It’s very fitting.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Next, Here’s the Long and Short on Season 20 of America’s Got Talent, Including the Complete List of Golden Buzzers
