Ciaran McMeeken, who attended Arrowtown School before heading off to Otago Boys’, is part of country rock band Ashes & Arrows, which has made it to the semifinals of hit international TV show America’s Got Talent.
McMeeken tells Mountain Scene the band’s experience on the show so far’s been "wildly positive".
"We just thought we’d give it a go, do the audition, and then move on.
"We were surprised to get through the first round, and then even more surprised to get through to the semifinals."
The band’s bio says they formed in Asheville, North Carolina after he, Benjamin Voigt, and Jonathan Calhoun linked up at an open mic night there in 2021.
They released their debut EP, Forward, in 2022, and have an album due out — they were meant to be releasing a single on Saturday, New Zealand time, but have had to postpone it after they made it to the next stage of AGT, performing their original song Wild Horses.
It earned them a standing ovation from judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sophia Vergara and Simon Cowell.
Mandel predicted the song was going straight to the charts, Vergara commented she hadn’t heard a song like it in a long time — "America is going to love you" — while Cowell described it as "amazing".
During the next month’s live semifinals, Ashes & Arrows, along with the 11 other contestants who’ve made it through, compete for six ‘fan votes’, advancing them to the finals with four ‘live show gold buzzers’.
The top 10 will then all compete for the US$1million prize.
McMeeken says they’re "certainly not expecting to win the show", but want to perform their songs the best they can "and see what happens".
But, he’s hoping his journey to the world stage might provide some inspiration for the next generation in his home town.
"I never thought an opportunity like this would come along.
"I grew up playing cricket and rugby in Arrowtown, and only started playing guitar and singing when I was 13.
"No one ever said to me that a music career would be possible until I was 19, and it was a Scottish dish hand that I worked with in a bar.
"So, I hope this story reaches a young person out there ... if a young lad from Arrowtown can do it, anything is possible."
