The Reklaws, a sibling duo made up of Stuart and Jenna Walker, were already a household name in Canada, with eight CCMA Awards, multiple platinum and double-platinum hits, sold-out tour dates and more. They could have stayed comfortable, and safe, in their homeland, but took a risk and auditioned for America’s Got Talent.
Not only did they agree to compete on one of the most popular reality TV talent shows in the country, but they made their debut by performing a deeply personal song, “People Don’t Talk About,” which they wrote after their mother lost her battle with mental illness.
“It was a big decision for us. They actually reached out to us and asked us to audition,” Jenna reveals to Everything Nash. “At first, we were like, ‘No. We can’t do that. We have a career. It could be bad, if it goes bad.’ But we are also very much yes people, and this journey, this life journey, this career, has not been a straight line. There are so many different paths. And if anything, we’ve just learned to say yes to everything. So we had to do it. We had to try out. To be judged by Simon Cowell is something.”
“It was the scariest thing I think we’ve done in a long time, but I want to keep doing stuff that scares us,” Stuart adds.
Stuart and Jenna’s mother passed away in early 2022, following a lengthy battle with depression. “People Don’t Talk About” is a candid look at how the two faced the unexpected and tragic loss of the family matriarch.
“That song we actually put out a couple of years ago,” Stuart shares. “It was ironic because we wrote it about our situation with losing our mom to mental health, and the struggle of mental health and how it affects families, whether it’s the person or the person you love. We just knew if we had the one chance to do it, we were going to do that song. We always knew that song had a journey, and a life beyond what it was on Spotify and iTunes.”
When Stuart and Jenna decided to perform “People Don’t Talk About” on AGT, they knew it was a gamble, but it was a gamble they were willing to take, if by performing that song they could help somebody else.
“When we played it, we were just hoping, because the judges didn’t know who we were … We were just strangers to them,” Stuart recalls. “And they immediately, everyone in the audience, the judges all connected [to the song]. That was all we were hoping. If we could impact and reach one person that’s gone through what we’ve gone through to make their day better, that’s all we were hoping for.”
Jenna knew, even as they were performing “People Don’t Talk About” in front of a live audience, that the song was resonating with the large crowd.
“It felt bigger,” Jenna acknowledges. “It felt like something bigger happened on that stage. Probably our mom just in the room, and it felt bigger than we could have expected it to.”
The Reklaws followed their America’s Got Talent audition by releasing a three-pack of songs, One Beer Away, which includes a song they sing together with the title track, plus “If I Drink Enough,” sung by Jenna, and “All The Time,” sung by Stuart. For The Reklaws, it makes sense for them to take turns singing lead, a formula that works for both them and their fans.
“I think in the early days it was a competitive factor, just because of who was going to be the lead singer, and what the crowd and what the audience was going to relate to and want more of, ” Jenna explains. “And it turns out, they wanted more of us, and it turns out, they wanted both of us, the exact same. We both could have done solo careers and had our own thing, but I think there’s a power and a force between us when we get to do this together.”
Photo Credit: Lane Dorsey
“We’ve been really focusing on trying to get a duo song and an individual song for both of us, because we both sing, we both write,” she continues. “We both could do solo stuff. But we’ve seen how well it can add to our show, where I’m on the stage by myself and sing a song. I get off the stage and Stu comes out and sings a song. That’s kind of what we want to do … It’s my song, then Stu’s song.”
As connected as they are with their music, both Stuart and Jenna still have their own unique style and sound, which is evident on One Beer Away.
“Jenna’s song is very pop in production, and mine’s very rock, almost rock country,” Stuart says. “We’re always trying to be more diverse with our genres, and with our sound. Instead of just doing ‘One Beer Away,” and then two other duets that could be country radio singles. This is a different dynamic for fans to listen to.”
One Beer Away is just a hint of what The Reklaws plan on releasing in the near future, now that they have solidified their mark in both the United States and Canada.
“We’ve been recording like crazy,” Jenna hints.” We just want it to be nonstop, and it’s going to be nonstop. You’re going to be sick of The Reklaws.”
Find One Beer Away and all of The Reklaws’ music and upcoming shows at The Reklaws.com.
The Reklaws made it through to the next round of AGT, thanks to their powerful performance. America’s Got Talent airs on Tuesday nights at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC / Trae Patton