Grace VanderWaal

Hailing from New York, Grace VanderWaal surfaced as an emotive pop vocalist after securing victory during the eleventh season of NBC's America's Got Talent, where her ukulele-driven originals proved decisive. Her initial EP, Perfectly Imperfect, climbed into the Billboard 200's upper tier shortly afterward, paving the way for the more elaborately orchestrated full-length debut Just the Beginning, which landed inside the Top 30 in 2017. VanderWaal then took the lead role in Disney's music-focused features Stargirl (2020) and Hollywood Stargirl (2022), all while issuing standalone tracks such as the 2022 single "Lion's Den."

She entered the world in Kansas in 2004 and spent her formative years in Suffern, New York, where an affinity for music surfaced around age three through performances on a wireless microphone. School-band saxophone followed, and by age 11 she had mastered the ukulele through online tutorials. Original songwriting and local open-mic appearances came next. Her 2016 audition for America's Got Talent showcased the self-penned "I Don't Know My Name," propelling her to series victory as only the second female and second child to achieve that distinction.

Columbia Records signed her in 2016, releasing the debut EP Perfectly Imperfect that included her single rendition of "I Don't Know My Name" and opened at number nine on the Billboard 200. A more dynamic full-length effort, Just the Beginning, resulted from sessions with producers such as Greg Wells (Adele, Katy Perry) and Sean Douglas (the Chainsmokers, Demi Lovato); it reached number 22 stateside and the Top 20 in Canada upon its November 2017 arrival. Headlining dates ensued, followed by support slots on Imagine Dragons' 2018 Evolve World Tour. Late that year she contributed to Ingrid Michaelson's holiday album, then issued the atmospheric single "Stray" in early 2019 alongside the EP Letters, Vol. 1 and tour dates with Florence + the Machine. The 2020 Disney film Stargirl cast her in the title role and featured her ukulele-led track "Today and Tomorrow." Its sequel, Hollywood Stargirl, debuted on Disney+ in June 2022, the same month the now-18-year-old VanderWaal unveiled the cinematic adult-pop single "Lion's Den."