By Cecelia Mitcheli

Grace Vanderwaal was the 2016 winner of America’s Got Talent. Her singing abilities were extraordinarily impressive due to her age and, the fact that she writes her own songs. The then-twelve-year-old began her audition with an original song and instantly won over both the crowd and judges. Judge Howie Mandel used his one “Golden Buzzer” of the season on Grace.

After going through the entire season, she ended up on top, and with the 1 million dollar prize. Grace planned to use one portion of her prize as a donation to charity and another portion for treehouses for her and her sister.

Her victory inspired her guest appearances on The Ellen Degeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, her halftime performance at the Knicks game, and having a spot in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  She signed a record deal with Columbia Records and earned her spot on multiple “Billboards Top 100” charts. Grace released her first full-length album, Just the Beginning, in early November 2017. Her career is just starting and I look forward to following her as her success grows.

To subscribe to her Youtube channel: Grace Vanderwaal Youtube