Courtney Hadwin skyrocketing to fame after her impressive America’s Got Talent audition. The 13 year old was clearly nervous when she took to the stage, yet gave one of the most memorable performances in the history of the show. Howie Mandel compared her to Janis Joplin!

After nearly four years, Hadwin is still pursuing music. She is now 17 years old and working on her debut album. Here’s everything you need to know about Courtney Hadwin from America’s Got Talent

1. America’s Got Talent Wasn’t Her First Competition Show

At 12 years old, Hadwin competed on the United Kingdom’s The Voice Kids. She auditioned for the series singing “Nutbush City Limits” by Ike and Tina Turner. Danny Jones turned his chair for her, but Will.I.Am and Pixie Lott did not. She made it to the Top 6 in the season and was loved on the series.

2. She Was Super Nervous Before Her AGT Audition

On Howie Mandel’s podcast, he shared that before she took to the stage, producers told the judges she was very nervous. He noted that producers told the judges that Hadwin was pushed back because she felt sick. Hadwin agreed she was very nervous and scared but didn’t throw up.

3. Fans Were Upset When They Found out She Competed Before AGT

Fans of America’s Got Talent were not happy to find out that Hadwin was on The Voice Kids U.K. Her family decided to send her to the United States to chase her dreams on AGT noting that her talent wasn’t received well in the United Kingdom. Even though The Voice Kids U.K. is a big series, she faced criticism because people thought there was no musical talent involved in her act.

4. She Got A Golden Buzzer

Hadwin was the shy girl with the powerful voice on AGT‘s season 13. She seemed extremely nervous when walking on stage, but completely opened up when she started singing. As soon as the music started, something clicked for her. Her audition is one of the most memorable golden buzzer acts of all time. The judges were impressed by her mature voice and dance moves.

Howie Mandel compared her to Janis Joplin before hitting his golden buzzer. He felt like he was discovering the next Janis. He told her that she’s from a whole different era.

5. She Was on AGT: The Champions

At 14 years old, Hadwin returned to the America’s Got Talent stage. Fans gave this singer a standing ovation when she returned to the stage. She came back to the stage with a different plan than before, she showed up with an original. This was the first time America saw what Hadwin’s original sound would be. Fans loved her on the series, but she was eliminated after the one performance.

6. She Has a Record Deal

After AGT: The Champions, Hadwin signed to Simon Cowell’s former company, SYCO Records in a joint deal with Arista records. A year later, she released her first EP with the deal. The EP is named The Cover Sessions, it features four cover songs that have been converted into Rock ‘N Roll.

7. She Premiered a New Hairstyle in Late 2021

Every fan of AGT remembers Hadwin as the little girl with really long brown hair. In 2021, she changed up her staple look by dying her hair red. Later in the year she changed the look even more by cutting her hair to just below her shoulders. On top of her hair, Hadwin is now five feet nine inches at 17 years old. The singer claims that in 2021, she didn’t get recognized in the streets as much as she did when she was younger.

8. She’s Been Hard at Work in The Recording Studio

Hadwin has been in America to write and record music. She shared that she’s written with Max Martin, but she felt like his music didn’t really click. Martin is a produced that wrote hit singles for Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and more. Hadwin noted that his music was too pop for her. When she breaks into music, she wants to do something similar to Amy Winehouse by creating a new type of music.

This singer has been hard at work on her debut album and shared last December that her team is hoping for a release date in 2022. In the future she hopes to sell out arenas and go on a tour.

9. TikTok is Her Favorite Form of Social Media

This singer has admitted that TikTok is her favorite social media platform. When she’s not working on music, she can be seen having fun on the app. She’s recently posted dance, lip sync, and comedy videos. Sometimes this singer shares her own music on the app as well.

10. She Shares Cover Songs in Her Own Style

Hadwin’s social media is filled with cover videos where she turns music of any genre into rock. Regardless of the sound, she always shows off her extremely unique singing voice. These covers are pretty casual and usually just involve her and her guitar.