Once the 12-year-old prodigy who won hearts on America’s Got Talent, she has now blossomed into a powerhouse performer at 21, her voice carrying newfound depth and soul. Every note was laced with raw emotion, turning the classic song into something deeply personal. This wasn’t just a performance- it was a defining moment, a powerful reminder that Grace’s journey is far from over. Her star isn’t just shining; it’s soaring
Remember 12-year-old America’s Got Talent sensation Grace VanderWaal? Well, that adorable girl with a ukulele is now all grown up, and she sounds amazing! The now 21-year-old singer gave a spellbinding performance of “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” for Francis Ford Coppola at the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors. VanderWaal really put her heart into the performance, and her husky vocals were just right for delivering the emotions of the piece so powerfully.
VanderWaal really left nothing in the tank when performing the song, and The Music Man readers won’t want to miss the powerhouse belting she closes the song with. “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” is from the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha, and the lyrics address striving for greatness. This made the song a fitting choice to celebrate Coppola’s unmatched contributions to cinema.
The Kennedy Center uploaded VanderWaal’s take on “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” to YouTube on December 23, 2024. Many fans reminisced about her time as a kid on America’s Got Talent below the video and praised her performance with comments such as “That was beautiful – the range, the power, the vocal cracks, the emotions. That was phenomenal” and “She was so spunky and adorable on AGT all those years ago. Simon knew she was star material. Now she sings so soulfully. Nice to see her success.”
VanderWaal appeared on season 11 of America’s Got Talent in 2016. While singing and playing ukulele, she progressed through the series by exclusively performing her original songs, which is an incredible feat for a 12-year-old singer-songwriter. Her performances gained tens of millions of views on YouTube, showcasing her quirky personality and unique approach to singing and songwriting.
VanderWaal scored Howie Mandel’s golden buzzer after her America’s Got Talent audition on her original song “I Don’t Know My Name.” She then progressed all the way through season 11 and eventually took first place in the competition. The Music Man is pleased to report that VanderWaal successfully established herself as a singer-songwriter after her time on America’s Got Talent. The Kansas-born singer signed to Columbia Records and released her debut EP Perfectly Imperfect on December 2, 2016, which peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200. Since then, VanderWaal released her debut album Just the Beginning in 2017, which peaked at 22 in the US and charted internationally. She followed this up with her 2019 EP Letters Vol. 1. VanderWaal has also launched an acting career, appearing in three films since 2020. Her latest acting appearance was in the 2024 film Megalopolis, which was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
