Teen songwriter from Kennedy collaborates on tune with fellow 'America's Got Talent' alum

Ashley Marina Yankello, a 13-year-old singer-songwriter from Kennedy , is releasing an original song Friday, written and recorded in a collaboration with a fellow “America’s Got Talent” alum.

The pop/rock song, “Time to Shine,” features vocals by the local teen, who has dropped her surname for her musical career, and instrumentals by Jacob Velazquez, also 13, who is based in the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., area.

Appearing in segments of AGT that were taped at different times, the musical pair didn’t meet until after they performed on the show’s 15th season and began following each other through social media, according to Ashley’s father, Mark Yankello.

“They’re part of the show fraternity,” he said.

The new song melds elements Ashley recorded at The Vault studio on Neville Island with others Velazquez laid down at his home studio in Florida.

The pair initially worked together via Zoom but they met in person to create a video for their song. It was filmed by Miami-based director David Liz at locations in Hollywood, Fla., including a beach and an outdoor stage.

“We were out on the beach early in the morning,” Mark Yankello said. “We couldn’t miss that sunrise.”

Video debuts Friday morning

The video will debut at 11 a.m. Friday on the respective YouTube channels of the two young artists.

The audio track of the song is expected to be available on most music streaming services beginning June 11, according to Yankello.

Velazquez has a form of autism similar to Asperger syndrome and learned to play the piano and drums at an early age. In addition to AGT, the multi-instrumentalist has made national television appearances on CNN, Telemundo, “The Steve Harvey Show” and “The Harry Connick Jr. Show.”

For “Time to Shine,” he played every instrument on the song, including guitar, piano, drums, cello and bass.

Ashley has penned 15 original songs, including “You’ll Always Be My Hero,” which was a highlight of her AGT appearance. She has been named a 2021 She Wolf Radio Ones 2 Watch Future Star, 2020 MÓB Radio Artist of the Year, TalentWatch Dream Night Champion and a National Talent America Tri-Star Award Winner.

An eighth-grade student at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Beaver County, she has been featured on iHeart Radio and has performed during the Harlem Globetrotters World Tour halftime show.

As an actress, she appeared in the Netflix series “Mindhunter” and Sony Pictures’ “Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story.”

With the relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions on gatherings, she is slated to resume local musical performances — including at 7:15 p.m. June 19, as part of a concert series at Burkett Park in Robinson.