Tech’s Got Talent is more than a competition for Matt Moseley and Oakley Smith.
It was during that event they met as sophomores in 2019. It led to a dating relationship and a musical partnership.
On Friday, Oct. 22, Moseley and Smith returned to the Tech’s Got Talent stage and walked away together as 2021 champions.
The couple performed “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” at Witherspoon Auditorium and won over the audience vote with Moseley’s performance on vocals and guitar and Smith’s fiddle playing.
“It feels really good because we’ve both been in it before,” said Smith. “We’ve been working up toward this and we’ve been working on this song for a while.”
Moseley is a senior mechanical engineering major from Benton, while Smith is a senior biology major from Leslie.
He got his start in music when his father taught him a few chords on guitar. YouTube lessons helped him hone his craft.
The folk music influence in Smith’s home region piqued her interest in the fiddle at the age of 9.
Smith said she will maintain her musical pursuits as a hobby and stress reliever following her graduation from Arkansas Tech in May 2022. She hopes to attend medical school.
Moseley, who was Tech’s Got Talent 2020 runner-up as a solo act, has designs on moving to Nashville to pursue a career in music after completing his ATU degree.
The winning duo earned $600 from ATU Student Activities Board with their victory in Tech’s Got Talent 2021.
Parker Benton of Quitman and Jake Moffett of Alma (vocal with acoustic guitar and electric guitar) finished in second place and won $300, while Asia Smoke of Hot Springs (vocal) took third place and $100.
Emma David of Conway (vocal with acoustic guitar), Kayleb Starnes of Vandervoort (instrumental piano) and Karson Kauffman of Little Rock and Noah Strout of Mountain Home (lip syncing) also competed in the Tech’s Got Talent 2021 finals.
Watch an archive of the final round of competition at https://youtu.be/3QcHGwt7sQk.
