Grace Avery VanderWaal (born January 15, 2004) is an American singer-songwriter known for her distinctive vocals and ukulele performances. She began her career by posting original songs and covers on YouTube and performing at open mic nights near Suffern, New York. At age 12, she won the eleventh season of America's Got Talent in September 2016 by singing her original songs. She released her first EP, Perfectly Imperfect, in December 2016, followed by the full-length album Just the Beginning in November 2017 and a second EP, Letters Vol. 1, in November 2019.
VanderWaal has performed at venues including Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Madison Square Garden, and the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. She toured in 2017 to support Just the Beginning, opened for Imagine Dragons in 2018, and headlined her own tour in 2019. She made her acting debut in 2020 in the Disney+ film Stargirl. VanderWaal won the 2017 Radio Disney Music Award for Best New Artist and a Teen Choice Award, appeared on Billboard's 21 Under 21 list five times, received the 2017 Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award, and is the youngest person on the Forbes 30 Under 30 music list.
United States
