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[[Category:2004 births]]
[[Category:2004 births]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]

Revision as of 07:13, 8 November 2016

Grace VanderWaal
Birth nameGrace Avery VanderWaal
Born (2004-01-15) January 15, 2004 (age 20)
Kansas City metropolitan area, Kansas, U.S.
OriginSuffern, New York, U.S.
Occupations
Instruments
LabelsColumbia
Websitegracevanderwaalofficial.com

Grace Avery VanderWaal[1] (born January 15, 2004) is an American singer, songwriter and ukuleleist from Suffern, New York. In 2016, at 12 years of age, she won the eleventh season of the NBC TV competition show America's Got Talent.[2]

Early life and music

Grace VanderWaal was born on January 15, 2004, near Kansas City, Kansas; her parents, David and Tina VanderWaal, lived in Lenexa at the time. The family later moved to Suffern, New York.[3]

VanderWaal began composing her first songs at age three, using a wireless microphone.[4] As a preteen, she found songwriting inspiration by watching movies and trying to imagine what a character was feeling, and "what it would be like if I were them, and wrote a song."[5] She was inspired to learn the ukulele after watching a family friend play and seeing a Twenty One Pilots video on YouTube.[6] She then bought one, using money she had received for her 11th birthday, and watched more videos to teach herself how to play.[7][a] After learning to play the ukulele, VanderWaal began to perform during open mic events at small venues near her home.[4] In July 2016, after her audition on America's Got Talent, VanderWaal performed at the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern and at the Ramapo Summer Concert Series at Palisades Credit Union Park.[9]

VanderWaal has written original songs (including those she has sung in competition) and recorded them, accompanying herself on ukulele, for her YouTube channel, Oh Never mind it's just me.[10] The channel also includes her cover versions of popular songs.[11] Her Instagram account has more than one million followers.[12]

She includes among her musical influences such artists as Jason Mraz, Twenty One Pilots, and Katy Perry.[6]

America's Got Talent

For the June 7, 2016, broadcast during the eleventh season of NBC's America's Got Talent, VanderWaal auditioned with her original song, "I Don't Know My Name", and was Howie Mandel's "golden buzzer" act.[13][10] Simon Cowell called VanderWaal "the next Taylor Swift."[14] Brittany Spanos in Rolling Stone magazine called the song an "emotional, catchy, quirky tune".[15] VanderWaal would continue to perform only original songs, including her next performance at the quarterfinals on August 23, 2016, titled "Beautiful Thing", a song written for her sister.[10] For the semifinals on August 30, she performed "Light the Sky",[10] and for the September 13 finals, she sang "Clay", a song about being bullied.[16]

VanderWaal again performed "I Don't Know My Name" for the September 14 finale episode, then introduced a performance by Stevie Nicks, her "true hero" and "inspiration". Afterward, Nicks said of VanderWaal, "she reminds me a lot of me ... she's got it. Whatever happens, Grace is going to the top."[17] At the end of the broadcast, VanderWaal was announced as the season 11 winner. She is the second female winner and second child act winner in the show's history.[14][b]

Post-America's Got Talent

Soon after winning AGT, VanderWaal appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Billboard magazine named her to its 2016 21 Under 21 list of "music's hottest young stars".[18] She signed a recording deal with Columbia Records in September 2016,[19] and began her recording sessions in October.[20]

VanderWaal plans to use part of her winnings from America's Got Talent to make a donation to charity, and to buy a tree house for herself and her sister.[21] She headlined four sold-out concerts in the PH Showroom at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in October 2016 as part of the America’s Got Talent Live Tour.[22] VanderWaal is set to headline the America's Got Talent Holiday Spectacular on December 19 on NBC.[23]

Personal life

VanderWaal resides in Suffern, New York, with her mother, father, and older sister;[24] she also has an older brother.[4] Her father is a vice president of marketing at LG Electronics.[25]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ VanderWaal told Access Hollywood that she was hoping for a ukulele for her 11th birthday, "and I remember my mom did not buy me one, 'cause she thought I would never play it."[8]
  2. ^ Bianca Ryan was eleven years old when she took the top prize in season 1.[14]

References

  1. ^ VanderWaal, Grace (confirmed account) [@GraceVanderWaal] (June 22, 2016). "Avery" (Tweet). Retrieved September 15, 2016 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Amabile Angermiller, Michelle (September 15, 2016). "America's Got Talent Winner Grace VanderWaal Books Vegas Concerts". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  3. ^ Izadi, Elahe (September 16, 2016). "America's Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, 12, has Lenexa roots". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c John, Caroline (August 31, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal Family: 4 Things You Need To Know". Earn the Necklace. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  5. ^ Savayan, Tania (videojournalist) (September 15, 2016). "AGT star Grace VanderWaal calls herself 'pretty bland'" (video). USA Today (verified channel). Event occurs at 2:16–2:38. Retrieved September 18, 2016 – via YouTube. Most of my songs are written about ... if I had just watched a movie, I saw characters [and thought], 'I wonder what they're feeling right now.' And then I'll imagine what it would be like if I were them, and wrote a song. A lot of my songs are like that. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b Sikorski, David (June 10, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal Reflects on Her Showstopping America's Got Talent Performance". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  7. ^ Petit, Stephanie (September 15, 2016). "5 Things to Know About America's Got Talent Winner Grace Vanderwaal". People. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  8. ^ VanderWaal, Grace (September 15, 2016). "AGT Winner Grace VanderWaal Sings For Natalie & Kit!" (video). Access Hollywood. Event occurs at 4:16–4:23. Retrieved September 18, 2016 – via YouTube (official channel).
  9. ^ Roberts, Karen (September 9, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal is in L.A. for her next AGT appearance". The Journal News. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
       D'Onofrio, Michael (July 11, 2016). "AGT star Grace VanderWaal sings in Rockland"". The Journal News. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d Salazar, Hayley (September 6, 2016). "Artist to Watch: America's Got Talent's Grace VanderWaal". The Collegian. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  11. ^ Villanueva, Mariel Ann (August 12, 2016). "America's Got Talent 2016 Grace VanderWaal to Sing Another Original for Live Shows?". Hall of Fame Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  12. ^ VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal (@grace_vanderwaal) (verified)". Instagram. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  13. ^ Roberts, Karen; Rhodes, Sharon (September 15, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal wins AGT, will sing in Vegas". The Journal News. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Izadi, Elahe (September 15, 2016). "'The next Taylor Swift' – Meet the 12-year-old singer-songwriter who won America's Got Talent". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  15. ^ Spanos, Brittany (June 9, 2016). "America's Got Talent Star Grace VanderWaal Talks Songwriting, Katy Perry". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  16. ^ Heldman, Breanne L. (September 14, 2016). "America's Got Talent: Grace VanderWaal wows with original song about bullies". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  17. ^ Amabile Angermiller, Michele (September 14, 2016). "Stevie Nicks Praises Grace VanderWaal on America's Got Talent: 'She's Got It'". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  18. ^ Staff (September 29, 2016). "21 Under 21 2016: Music's Hottest Young Stars". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  19. ^ Amabile Angermiller, Michelle (September 20, 2016). "America's Got Talent Winner Grace VanderWaal Joins Adele, Beyonce at Columbia Records". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  20. ^ McDermott, Maeve (October 10, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal teases new music, tweets about her first recording session". USA Today. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  21. ^ Haas, Mariah; Petit, Stephanie (September 15, 2016). "America's Got Talent Winner Grace Vanderwaal, 12, Reveals What She's Going to Do with Her $1 Million Prize". People. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  22. ^ Staff (October 28, 2016). "America's Got Talent winner, Suffern native VanderWaal plays sold-out Vegas show". News12.com. Westchester County, New York. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  23. ^ Amabile Angermiller, Michele (November 7, 2016). "America's Got Talent Winner Grace VanderWaal Set to Headline Holiday Special". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  24. ^ Rao, Naveen (September 15, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal Family: Things To Know About AGT 2016 Winner's Parents". Earn the Necklace. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  25. ^ Wolf, Alan (September 15, 2016). "She Did It: Industry Daughter Grace VanderWaal Wins Top Prize on America's Got Talent". Twice. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
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