Grace VanderWaal

Grace VanderWaal
Birth name Grace Avery VanderWaal
Born (2004-01-15) January 15, 2004
Kansas City metropolitan area, Kansas, U.S.
Origin Suffern, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)
Instruments
Labels Columbia
Website gracevanderwaalofficial.com

Grace Avery VanderWaal[1] (born January 15, 2004) is an American singer, songwriter and ukuleleist from Suffern, New York. In 2016, at age 12, she won the eleventh season of the NBC TV competition show America's Got Talent. She soon signed a record deal and has continued to perform.

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.[2] Since completing winning AGT, VanderWaal has been home-schooled and enrolled in online courses.[3][4]

VanderWaal began composing her first songs at age three, using a wireless microphone.[5] 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."[6] She was inspired to learn the ukulele after watching a family friend play and seeing a Twenty One Pilots video on YouTube.[7] She then bought one, using money she had received for her 11th birthday, and watched more videos to teach herself how to play.[8][lower-alpha 1] She has also played the saxophone in her school's marching band.[10] After learning to play the ukulele, VanderWaal began to perform during open mic events at small venues near her home[5] and to study music theory.[2] 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.[11]

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.[12] The channel also includes her cover versions of popular songs.[13] Her Instagram account has more than one million followers.[14]

She includes among her musical influences such artists as Jason Mraz, Twenty One Pilots and Katy Perry.[7]

Career

2016: America's Got Talent

On the June 7, 2016, broadcast during the eleventh season of NBC's America's Got Talent (AGT), VanderWaal auditioned with her original song, "I Don't Know My Name", and was Howie Mandel's "golden buzzer" act.[15][12] Simon Cowell called VanderWaal "the next Taylor Swift."[16] Brittany Spanos in Rolling Stone magazine called the song an "emotional, catchy, quirky tune".[17] VanderWaal continued to perform only original songs on the show, including her next performance at the quarterfinals on August 23, 2016, titled "Beautiful Thing", a song written for her sister.[12] For the semifinals on August 30, she performed "Light the Sky",[12] and for the September 13 finals, she sang "Clay", a song about dealing with bullying.[18]

VanderWaal again performed "I Don't Know My Name" for the September 14 finale episode, then introduced a performance by Stevie Nicks, who said of VanderWaal, "she's got it. Whatever happens, Grace is going to the top."[19] At the end of the broadcast, VanderWaal was announced as the season 11 winner.[20] She is the second female winner and second child act winner in the show's history.[16][lower-alpha 2]

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".[21]

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.[22] She headlined four sold-out concerts in the PH Showroom at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in October 2016, performing with other America’s Got Talent finalists.[23] VanderWaal is set to headline the America's Got Talent Holiday Spectacular on December 19 on NBC.[24]

2016 – present

VanderWaal signed a recording deal with Columbia Records in September 2016, soon after winning AGT,[25] and began recording sessions in October[26] for her debut EP, Perfectly Imperfect, which was released on December 2, 2016. Pre-orders for the recording entitled purchasers to an instant download of VanderWaal's song "I Don't Know My Name".[27] There are five songs on the EP, including all four of VanderWaal's original songs from AGT and another original, "Gossip Girl". The recording is produced by Greg Wells. A Walmart version features one additional song, "Missing You (Coffeehouse Version)".[3] "I Don't Know My Name" debuted on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart at No. 37[28] and on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at No. 24.[29] Billboard magazine praised VanderWaal's vocals, finding them "reminiscent of a Taylor Swift-Regina Spektor hybrid".[30] Brianna Wiest of Teen Vogue wrote: "The EP takes you through Grace's range, touching on issues that are all-too-well-known for young people, as well as soul-stokingly beautiful medleys that almost anyone could relate to. ... [W]e see ... her ability to master both a softer, vowel-breaking folk tone as well as push through a serious power-ballad by the end. It's rare that you see both at once, but that's part of the magic of Grace's sound: it's at once completely new, and totally unexpected."[31]

VanderWaal has been promoting the EP with a series of appearances and performances. She performed "Light the Sky" and "Riptide" at halftime during the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 6, 2016.[32] VanderWaal performed "I Don't Know My Name" in the 2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,[33] on NBC's Today show on November 28[4] and at the Christmas tree lighting at South Street Seaport, in New York City, on November 29, where she also sang "Light the Sky".[34][35] She sang "I Don't Know My Name" on The Wendy Williams Show on December 2[36] and at Cyndi Lauper's annual holiday fundraiser at the Beacon Theatre on December 3, where she also duetted with Lauper on "True Colors".[37] She is scheduled to perform on CBS's The Talk on December 8, 2016.[38]

Personal life

VanderWaal resides in Suffern, New York, with her mother, father, and older sister;[39] she also has an older brother.[5] Her father is a vice president of marketing at LG Electronics.[40]

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."[9]
  2. ↑ Bianca Ryan was eleven years old when she won the top prize in season 1.[16]

References

  1. ↑ VanderWaal, Grace (confirmed account) [GraceVanderWaal] (June 22, 2016). "Avery" (Tweet). Retrieved September 15, 2016 – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 Izadi, Elahe (September 16, 2016). "America's Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, 12, has Lenexa roots". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Mallenbaum, Carly (November 16, 2016). "Exclusive: Grace VanderWaal's Perfectly Imperfect tracklist". USA Today. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  4. 1 2 D'Zurilla, Christie. "Grace VanderWaal performs 'I Don't Know My Name', shares her age-related angst on Today", Los Angeles Times, November 28, 2016
  5. 1 2 3 John, Caroline (August 31, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal Family: 4 Things You Need To Know". Earn the Necklace. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. 1 2 Sikorski, David (June 10, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal Reflects on Her Showstopping America's Got Talent Performance". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  8. ↑ Petit, Stephanie (September 15, 2016). "5 Things to Know About America's Got Talent Winner Grace Vanderwaal". People. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  9. ↑ 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).
  10. ↑ Muppala, Savitha. "Grace VanderWaal's Popularity Creates Record Ticket Sales for AGT Show at Planet Hollywood", Movie News Guide, October 28, 2016
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Salazar, Hayley (September 6, 2016). "Artist to Watch: America's Got Talent's Grace VanderWaal". The Collegian. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal (@grace_vanderwaal) (verified)". Instagram. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  15. ↑ Roberts, Karen; Rhodes, Sharon (September 15, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal wins AGT, will sing in Vegas". The Journal News. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 Izadi, Elahe (September 15, 2016). "'The next Taylor Swift' – Meet the 12-year-old singer-songwriter who won America's Got Talent"Free access subject to limited trial, subscription normally required. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  17. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (June 9, 2016). "America's Got Talent Star Grace VanderWaal Talks Songwriting, Katy Perry". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  18. ↑ Heldman, Breanne L. (September 14, 2016). "America's Got Talent: Grace VanderWaal wows with original song about bullies". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  19. ↑ 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. I have to say she reminds me a lot of me in a lot of ways. We sing very similar ... we like to be weird and quirky and we like to be a little different ... and not like anybody else. She's got it. Whatever happens, Grace is going to the top.
  20. ↑ Amabile Angermiller, Michelle (September 15, 2016). "America's Got Talent Winner Grace VanderWaal Books Vegas Concerts". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  21. ↑ Staff (September 29, 2016). "21 Under 21 2016: Music's Hottest Young Stars". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ Staff (October 28, 2016). "America's Got Talent winner, Suffern native VanderWaal plays sold-out Vegas show"Free access subject to limited trial, subscription normally required. News12.com. Westchester County, New York. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  24. ↑ Amabile Angermiller, Michele (November 7, 2016). "America's Got Talent Winner Grace VanderWaal Set to Headline Holiday Special". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  25. ↑ Amabile Angermiller, Michelle (September 20, 2016). "America's Got Talent Winner Grace VanderWaal Joins Adele, Beyonce at Columbia Records". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  26. ↑ McDermott, Maeve (October 10, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal teases new music, tweets about her first recording session". USA Today. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  27. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (November 14, 2016). "AGT Winner Grace VanderWaal's Debut EP, Perfectly Imperfect, Coming Dec. 2". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Digital Song Sales: The Week of December 10, 2016", Billboard.com, November 29, 2016
  29. ↑ Cantor, Brian. "Noah Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Melanie Martinez, DJ Suede, Lil Yachty, Grace VanderWaal Land On Bubbling Under Hot 100", HeadlinePlanet.com, November 29, 2016
  30. ↑ "Grace VanderWaal Unleashes Stunning Vocals on New Single 'Clay'", Billboard magazine, December 2, 2016
  31. ↑ Wiest, Brianna. "Grace VanderWaal’s First EP, Perfectly Imperfect', Is Here", Teen Vogue, December 2, 2016
  32. ↑ VanderWaal, Grace (November 13, 2016). Grace VanderWaal MSG NY Knicks halftime show. YouTube (official channel). Retrieved November 13, 2016.
       VanderWaal, Grace (November 6, 2016). "At the Garden today singing halftime for the NY Knicks". Facebook (official account). Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  33. ↑ Strum, Phil. "Grace VanderWaal performs at Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade", The Journal News, November 24, 2016
  34. ↑ Staff. "Christmas Tree at South Street Seaport". The Tribeca Trib. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  35. ↑ Bladow, Janel. "Seaport Report: December 2016", Downtown Express, December 1, 2016
  36. ↑ Daw, Robbie. "Grace VanderWaal's Perfectly Imperfect EP Flies Up iTunes Chart: Watch 'Clay' Lyric Video", Idolator.com, December 2, 2016
  37. ↑ Daw, Robbie. "Grace VanderWaal and Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors' Duet in New York Is Perfection: Watch", Idolator.com, December 4, 2016
  38. ↑ Cantor, Brian. "Grace VanderWaal Set To Appear, Perform on December 8 The Talk", Headline Planet, December 2, 2016
  39. ↑ Rao, Naveen (September 15, 2016). "Grace VanderWaal Family: Things To Know About AGT 2016 Winner's Parents". Earn the Necklace. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  40. ↑ 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.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.