13 Things You Didn't Know About Grace VanderWaal
13.
Early Beginnings- The multitalented starlet first started writing her own tunes at just
three years old and surprised all of us when she claimed she never sang in front of a live
audience before she auditioned for America’s Got Talent.
Born to Tina and Dave Vanderwaal, she has an older sister and older brother and says
her family is very supportive of her ambitions.
The pop singer was inspired to learn the ukulele from a family friend and rock singer Tyler
Joseph.
Finally, when she was 11 years old, she saved up enough money to buy her first ukulele.
12.
Sister Inspiration- Vanderwaal’s song “Beautiful Thing” was written with her sister Olivia
in mind and never performed it for her older sibling before appearing on America’s Got
Talent.
However, Grace did upload her performance on her Youtube page, but Olivia didn’t see
it right away.
Grace said that when she posted it online, her sister was at school and all of her sister’s
friends were asking her if she saw the song that was written about her.
After Olivia had listened to the song, she started crying.
There’s a big chance that the waterworks probably happened again when Grace played
it again in front of a live theater audience.
11.
Personal Influences- Vanderwaal is widely known for performing all original songs on
the AGT which includes “ I Don’t Know My Name, ” and you would think this is a
lot of stress for a 12-year-old to be unique and liked at the same time.
Well according to Vanderwaal, she states that she wasn’t too nervous when she showcased
her work in front of millions of people.
She said she was actually pretty comfortable about the whole experience because she tries
to make songs to help people and relate it to them.
She describes it as attempting to hold someone’s hand, and it comes out naturally.
10.
A Big Congratulations- After the 12-year-old had won America’s Got Talent, she was congratulated
by many people and celebrities, including Taylor Swift.
The bad blood singer sent VanderWaal a beautiful surprise by sending her a color assortment
of flowers.
Her reaction to T-Swift’s gift was caught on camera and uploaded to Twitter, which showed
her jumping up and down and screaming with joy.
Aside from T-Swift, other celebrities took to Twitter to send VanderWaal some love like
Katy Perry, Henry Winkler, Reese Witherspoon, Jason Mraz and Ellen DeGeneres.
With many stars and fans supporting VanderWaal’s win, I’m sure we can expect great things
from her!
9.
She Got The Golden Buzzer- She first appeared on America’s Got Talent back in June 2016
and charmed the judges by playing a unique and special song she wrote with her ukulele.
Her spunk and originality were observed by the audience, who gave her a standing ovation
but her performance resulted in Howie Mandel to press his Golden Buzzer; which sent Vanderwaal
to the next round.
Mandel went on to say that he was totally blown away and referred to her as a walking
miracle.
He also stated that he thought he found the biggest star in the show’s history.
8.
She was Praised by Simon Cowell- After she stunned judges with her one of a kind stage
presence, Simon Cowell quickly took notice of the budding star and predicted at her audition
that she would be the next Taylor Swift.
Afterward, he also told his fellow judges that he thought Vanderwaal was unique and
was annoyed that he didn’t press the Golden Buzzer first, being beat by Howie Mandel.
Aside from comparing the preteen the T-Swift, he also said after the finale of America’s
Got Talent when Vanderwaal was announced the winner, that he felt the same feeling of joy
when Kelly Clarkson won American Idol.
We definitely know that Vanderwaal will have a flourishing career ahead of her, especially
when Simon Cowell gave her positive reviews since he is known for being brutally honest
and dishing out some not so nice comments.
7.
In the Works- As of 2017, Vanderwaal is a very busy girl.
She has worked endlessly in the studio, and last month, her first EP called Perfectly
Imperfect hit store shelves.
She also has two completed music videos online, with Perfectly Imperfect reaching 9 million
views in just three months.
She is also planning to release another studio album sometime in the fall and has even teased
a few new songs on social media for her anxious fans.
Vanderwaal tweeted out to a fan that September was her goal to finish and stated that she
was already started writing!
While September feels like a long time away, perfection takes time, and I’m sure the
wait will be worth it.
6.
She’s Signed in with the Big League- The teen singer has a record contract with Simon
Cowell’s Syco Music Land at Sony Music’s Columbia.
The record label has worked with some of the music industry’s notable stars which include
Adele, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, One Direction and More.
Award-winning singer Stevie Nicks has recognized the singer and even likened her to herself,
saying Vanderwaal reminded her of herself in a lot of ways.
Nicks told AGT’s host Nick Cannon that whatever happens, Grace is going to the top.
Pretty encouraging words from the queen of rock and roll.
5.
She’d Love to Work with Jason Mraz- Although the youngster’s sound is folksy and distinct,
some of her favorite songs are pop songs.
She cites Twenty One Pilots or Meghan Trainor as some the artists she could listen to repeatedly
without getting tired.
She claims on the days when she has to perform live; she’ll listen to upbeat music to motivate
her like Katy Perry.
The teen says the artist she’d love to work with and is at the top of her wish list is
a fellow musician with a similar sound tune to hers.
She says that it would be an excellent experience to meet Jason Mraz.
She says she really likes his music and enjoys singing along to his songs and would eventually
love to collaborate with him if possible.
4.
She Originally Wanted to be on American Idol- From June 2002 to April 2016, the reality
singing show spanned out some of the best singers we know today, including Kelly Clarkson,
Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, Caleb Johnson and Phillip Phillips.
She stated that she wasn’t a die hard AGT fan before hitting the stage, but she did
power watch all the season and how the show went.
However, Vanderwaal, unfortunately, wouldn’t be able to have the opportunity for American
Idol even if it was still on air due to the age requirement.
You have to be at least 15 years or older to audition for American Idol, and Vanderwaal
was three years young at the time.
But it must be fate since the starlet went on to win AGT and the audience’s hearts.
3.
Future Plans- After the starlet had won America’s Got Talent, she revealed that wanted to use
part of her winnings to donate to charity organizations and help people, she also stated
she wanted to build a treehouse for her and her sister.
Aside from recording in the studio, she is scheduled to perform at two benefit events
in March 2017.
The first is the WE day event in Illinois to commemorate young adult’s commitment
to take action on social issues, and other performance will be for the One Drop Foundation,
set up by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas to educate people about safe access to water
and to live sustainably.
2.
TreeMasters Reached Out to Her- After Vanderwaal had stated she longed for a magnificent treehouse
for her and her older sister Olivia, she hinted that she wanted to try and get a Treehouse
Master to complete her dream.
Animals Planet’s Treehouse Master is widely known for featuring some of the most unbelievable
and eccentric treehouses all over the world that include ziplines, beautiful decoration,
and unique architecture.
When host Pete Nelson of the show got a glimpse of Vanderwaal’s request, he sent her a congratulatory
video and even offered to help her finally build a treehouse!
Looks like she’ll get another lifelong dream come true as well!
1.
A First For Everything- Since appearing on America’s Got Talent; Grace Vanderwaal is
the first child act performance and the first female to win since Bianca Ryan in Season
one.
Being twelve years old, she is the second youngest winner of America’s Got Talent
and the first singing act to win since season six of the show.
Vanderwaal is the second Golden Buzzer recipient to win after ventriloquist Paul Zerdin in
season ten but is so far the only one to get a Golden Buzzer by a main judge.
Her audition video is also a viral sensation and is the most liked video on AGT’s Youtube
channel with over 50 million views!
Vanderwaal is also the first female so far to win America’s Got Talent with all original
songs.