Grace Vanderwaal is a pop prodigy and an adorable ukulele player earning thousands of dollars, all at the tender age of 13. She competed and won the 11th season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent in 2016 and is slowly singing her way to stardom after being deemed “The next Taylor Swift” by Simon Cowell, “A living, breathing miracle” by Howie Mandel, and “One in a million” by Mel B.

Vanderwaal has also just recently won the 2017 Radio Disney Music Award for Best New Artist and is currently working on a full-length album set to release in 2017 in addition to her already well known short album, Perfectly Imperfect, released in 2016. Grace is known for writing originals as she first auditioned on AGT with her original song, “I Don’t Know My Name” and got the golden buzzer while leaving the judges staring in awe. From her adorable style to unique voice, America just can’t seem to get enough of her, and Grace has inspired millions from around the world to pursue their dream, even if they’re just a kid.

Grace lives in Suffern, New York with her mom, dad, older sister, and dog. She started singing and composing her own music around the age of three and got her ukulele with her allowance for her 11th birthday. According to NBC, the singer-songwriter taught herself how to play ukulele through Youtube videos. She then started singing at open-mic clubs in New York and New Jersey once she got more comfortable with her style of singing (Petit). Vanderwaal says she started writing songs because she was “really bored” and writing songs was “fun” for her. While watching movies, she would often try to imagine what the character’s emotions were like. Her urge to empathize with the characters onscreen became her inspiration for writing songs (“Grace Vanderwaal Biography”).

Not only did Vanderwaal’s AGT win boost her confidence and her fame, but it also put a hefty amount of money into her hands, one million to be exact.

“I would like to donate part of the money to a charity,” says Vanderwaal, “probably related to the music industry, and I would like to buy a tree-house for me and my sister” (“Grace Vanderwaal Biography”).

Not only does Grace enjoy writing her own material, but she also enjoys singing covers by artists like Ed Sheeran, Alessia Cara, Elle King, Melanie Martinez, and more. She uploads videos of her singing covers and originals on her Youtube channel (@Oh Never mind it’s just me / Grace Vanderwaal). Her channel also includes rare footage of her singing at the age of just three!

After winning AGT, Grace Vanderwaal appeared on many talk shows such as the Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and was featured in Teen Vogue. She has also been able to perform with Jason Mraz and sing a duet with Shawn Mendes – both of which have increased Vanderwaal’s fame.

Although Vanderwaal has been compared to Taylor Swift by Simon Cowell, she claims that she is more of a Katy Perry fan.

“Not so much the sound but as a person, I would say Katy Perry inspires me because you can always see that she’s being true to herself. She focuses on her music and even turns down big producers,” Vanderwaal told Teen Vogue. “Her whole career and music is about her being herself. I want to be more like that.”

Grace has inspired so many people in such a short amount of time as her hit original, “I Don’t Know My Name,” has topped  billboards all around the world and has over 300,000 covers on Youtube alone. Her beautifully raspy voice has raised her up to the top as she has received flowers signed by Taylor Swift and cracked the Top Ten in music and best artists. Vanderwaal’s songs have touched the hearts of millions and she continues to aspire past America’s Got Talent and into her own world.

Vanderwaal encourages young girls by advising, “Don’t let anyone dull your light, those are the people who dull, and dull, and dull…”

Who knows what’s next for this “Amazing Grace?”

References

“Grace Vanderwaal Biography.” The Famous People, Famous People.

thefamouspeople.com/profiles/grace-vanderwaal-7950.php

Petit, Stephanie. “5 Things to Know About the America’s Got Talent Winner.” People,

WordPress.com. 2017.

people.com/tv/grace-vanderwaal-5-things-to-know-about-americas-got-talent-winner/