Ashley McTackett is a 28-year-old from the Hunter Valley. Music, she says, is her big shot. She’s good at it, too.
It’s just that Ashley McTackett’s brilliant singing on The Voice was overshadowed by her brilliantly stage mum-like mother.
It went a little bit like this:
Ashley enters the stage. Sings for a little while. Judges don’t turn around for her.
When the judges are being nice and friendly and polite in their comments, commending Ashley for her lovely voice and dazzling smile, the audience quietens. A voice booms from stage right.
“Change your mind and press the button!” Ashley’s mum Mel yells.
And then she didn’t… she didn’t stop.
“Let my daughter through!”
“Somebody press a button and let her through!”
“You won’t regret it! Please! Please!”
“Please let my daughter through!”
You can watch the video here. Post continues after audio.
Ashley, knowing full well her mother is yelling at the judges from the side of the stage, giggles quietly and utters a few words known well to children of excitable parents: “Uh. That’s my mother.”
May there be more mothers like Mel. May they always surface on our television screens.
May we always feel this odd concoction of awkwardness and glee.
Love stage mums and imperfect parents? Check out our parenting podcast, This Glorious Mess.