If you don’t know Grace Vanderwaal, you’re clearly not tuning into America’s Got Talent. She’s the brand new winner of the hit reality show, and she’s pretty good. I mean, you should assume that based on her win, but sometimes you have to explain things to people a little further until they experience that “ah-ha” moment we all have from time to time. She’s an overnight millionaire and a talented sensation, and she’s only 12-years-old. Yes, I said 12. That’s enough to make you feel pretty much like you haven’t done anything with your life, right? She’s 12, a millionaire, a winner and someone who has already realized her dreams and we are all just trying to figure out a way to convince our kids that superhero masks don’t look super great paired with their pajamas on picture day at school. Or maybe that’s just me; I don’t know.
Either way, Grace Vanderwaal is a huge sensation at the moment, and we thought we might get to know her a bit better. She’s only 12, but she’s got a lot of personality, talent and we all have a lot to learn about her. Perhaps I can educate us all so we feel a little bit more in the know about this talented young lady.
Stevie Nicks loves her
When Stevie Nicks was a guest on the show and got to see little Grace perform, she was blown away. She claims that she’s always watched the show, but that this is the first time that someone really blew her away and made her look twice. She then went on to tell the world that the little girl reminds her of herself, and she really loves that about Grace. What an amazing compliment.
Simon Cowell loves her
Let’s face it; he doesn’t love anyone but himself and his smedium shirts, and that’s what makes this big news. Simon Cowell called Grace Vanderwaal the next Taylor Swift, which is huge. I mean, Taylor Swift is only the most famous, most successful singing star in the past decade to make her way into the music industry. It’s big news.
She’s got serious fans
When you have one performance that shows up on Facebook and has more than 100 million views – only on Facebook – you know you’ve made it. The same performance is on plenty of other sites with millions of views on those sites, too, but this is huge. She’s 12 and she’s more famous than most grown adults. It’s amazing what a talent this little girl has, and how much focus and determination she has to go along with it.
She’s not like everyone else
Grace Vanderwaal might be 12 and in a place in life where little girls are typically worried about how other people view them, but not this little girl. She’s quirky, she’s her own person and she’s not overly concerned with how her peers feel about the way she dresses or what she does in her spare time. She just doesn’t care, and she owns herself. That, my friends, is probably the most impressive thing about her.
She actually wanted to be on American Idol
May I just point out that the hit show that ended after 15 seasons was on television long before she was even born? She wanted to compete there and show the world what a star she truly is, but the show ended before she was old enough to audition. It doesn’t seem to matter much, though, since she’s clearly making it where she is.
She’s only been playing the ukulele for a year
How about the fact that this kid is not only amazingly talented and a world-famous superstar as of this week, but she’s only been doing it for a year? She didn’t even get a ukulele of her own until she was 11. She saw a family friend from Brazil with their ukulele and she thought it was cute, and she decided she wanted one of her own. She’s that talented after a year. I can’t even imagine what will happen as she gets more practice and grows older. She’s amazing.
She’s a New Yorker
When you live in New York, you have to realize that you can do anything you want. Everyone on the street has the same dream to do what they want to do and to make it big. She’s from Suffern, NY, and she’s been dreaming of success since she first realized she had some talent with her favorite instrument.
She writes her own music
I know kids Grace Vanderwaal’s age who can barely write a full sentence that makes sense, and this little girl is writing her own music. I wouldn’t even know how to begin doing something like that, yet here she is amazing all of us with her amazing talent. She’s something special.
She didn’t even know she could write music
To make matters worse for all of us who are still trying to prove we are good at what we do, it might make us a little bit ill to realize that this little girl did not even know she could write music. She just felt it, began writing and it all just came to her. Perhaps her age plays into that; she’s not closed off enough from the world and her past feelings to be too afraid to write what she feels. That’s lovely.
She’s got her own favorite artists
She’s only 12, but she’s got great taste in music. If you ask Grace Vanderwaal who it is she likes to listen to most, she will tell you she loves Meghan Trainor. She loves Jason Mraz, and she adores Twenty One Pilots. Of course, those are some of the biggest musical groups of the year, but she also loves Katy Perry and even calls her music inspirational. She’s a girl with seriously good taste in music, and we love that about her. Congratulations, Grace Vanderwaal – you are amazingly awesome.
Photo by Getty Images
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