Courtney Hadwin

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Courtney Hadwin
Born (2004-07-06) 6 July 2004 (age 19)
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-Songwriter
Years active2014–present
Labels

Courtney Hadwin is an English singer-songwriter. She rose to fame by competing prominently on the first season of ITV's The Voice Kids UK 2017 and the 13th season of the NBC competition show America's Got Talent (AGT) the following year. Her latter audition went viral. By the time of her second performance in 2018 on the first live TV broadcast of AGT that season, the video of her audition had been viewed 200 million times, according to show host Tyra Banks as she introduced Hadwin.[1]

Early life[edit]

Hadwin lives in England; she has a younger sister Melissa and a younger brother Paul. She attended Hesleden Primary School[2][3][4] and until autumn 2018 studied at The Academy at Shotton Hall in Peterlee.[4][5] She has also trained at Shotton Hall Theatre School, Peanuts Master Classes, Kate Sirs School of Music[6] and Julie Miles' Vocal Ovation.[7]

Hadwin was a 2018 finalist on TV's America's Got Talent. She previously appeared on the first series of The Voice Kids in the UK and afterwards on America's Got Talent: The Champions.

Career[edit]

Early performances[edit]

In April 2015, Hadwin auditioned for her first singing competition at TeenStar in Newcastle, England, with her version of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love", and reached the competition's grand final.[8] She also gained notice when she was filmed performing Great Big World and Christina Aguilera's soaring duet "Say Something" in September 2015.[9] She sang the song during lunchtime at the school.

In April 2016, she won Hartlepool's Performer of the Year Award, and was a finalist in the Beyond The Lights award ceremony.[10] She was the opening act for Sister Sledge at a South Tyneside Festival concert in July 2017, where she sang for more than 18,000 people.[11] In January 2018, she sang in Southampton at an event for U-Support, raising funds for children with life-limiting illnesses and disabilities.[12]

2017: The Voice Kids UK[edit]

Hadwin blind-auditioned for The Voice Kids UK, where she performed Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits". will.i.am, one of the three coaches, had her repeat part of her act on The Voice Kids so he could see her dance some more.[13]She was picked by judge Danny Jones, who became her mentor on the show. During the battle round, she performed "Dancing in the Street" against Eboni Green and Hollie Firmin.[14] For her semi-final performance, she sang James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)". For her final performance on 16 July 2017, she sang the torch song "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, before being eliminated as a finalist.[15]

2018–2019: America's Got Talent[edit]

In her audition for the 13th season of America's Got Talent, Hadwin sang Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle". She appeared a bit shy or bashful as she talked before singing on AGT. Simon Cowell told her "... you sing and you're like a lion."[16]Howie Mandel referenced the Monterey Pop Festival, Janis Joplin, and Clive Davis. He was the first to weigh in on Hadwin's performance of Hard to Handle. He couldn't have been more enthusiastic as he compared her rendition to Joplin's debut. The performance inspired Mandel to give her a Golden Buzzer, sending her directly to the live shows.[17] Mandel compared Hadwin's singing to Janis Joplin.[18]

The audition video received more than 50 million views on AGT's YouTube channel in its first five months.[19][20] Hadwin returned for AGT's quarter-finals on 14 August 2018, singing "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown. When introducing Hadwin to the live TV audience for the quarter-finals, host Tyra Banks announced that Hadwin's audition had been viewed more than 200 million times. For her semi-final performance on 11 September, she sang "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, then returned for the final show on 18 September to perform Tina Turner's "River Deep – Mountain High". Considerable controversy arose on the Internet about Hadwin's "hidden" prior experience on The Voice Kids UK in 2017, and about whether or not Hadwin was as shy and bashful as she first appeared at her audition.

Family, school teachers, and friends came to her defense, saying she has been shy throughout her childhood, and many noted that other contestants also had prior experience as contestants before appearing on AGT/BGT.[21] Hadwin's grandfather spoke about how she is painfully shy and has sung in her sleep.[22] Hadwin says she is an avid bouncy castle lover.

On the results show on 19 September, she sang "Piece of My Heart" with rock band The Struts. Although she failed to win AGT's grand prize, she went to Las Vegas to perform five live shows with winner Shin Lim at the Paris Hotel and Casino from 2–4 November 2018.[23]


In December 2018, Hadwin signed a record deal with Syco Music and Arista Records.[24][25] In January 2019, she appeared as a contestant on NBC's America's Got Talent: The Champions, where she performed her first original song, "Pretty Little Thing". She has been named as one of the 50 top contestants in all the AGT shows across 194 countries.[26]

2019–present: Pandemic hiatus and debut as songwriter[edit]

After her performance (when she was 14) of her original song "Pretty Little Thing" on America's Got Talent: The Champions, Hadwin's first EP was released on 25 October 2019 titled "The Cover Sessions", which includes live covers of "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles, "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X, "Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers, and "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi.[27] She has been described as "an exceptional talent with a voice and spirit well beyond her years."[28] When an interviewer asked her about her artistic influences, she said, "From Little Richard, James Brown to Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger... It's a really long list!"[29]

Hadwin was slated to perform at the Woodstock 50 music festival which was planned for the 50th anniversary weekend of the original Woodstock Music and Art Fair.[30] Unfortunately the event organizers encountered significant difficulties in both finding a venue (given the disastrous Woodstock '99 festival) and a combination of other funding and management problems leading to the cancellation of the event.[31][32][33]

The COVID-19 pandemic severely limited the live performance of music and causing or contributing to the cancellation of many music festivals, concert tours, and releases of new albums for years.[34][35] During the hiatus, Hadwin released a cover of John Lennon's song "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" on 20 November 2020 to YouTube and also to music streaming services.[36][37]

Hadwin was signed onto the roster to perform at the FM4 Frequency Festival music festival in 2021. However, the festival was canceled again.[38] At some unknown point, she parted company with the label which inherited her account after Simon Cowell's Syco Music label ceased operations, as evidenced by a comment from Hadwin in response to a fan's (YouTube user 'Hal Dayley') comment mentioning 'Simon' on her YouTube channel post of her first music video released in 2023, 'Breakable'. She responded to the comment, "It’s all me for this one completely independent finally doing it MY WAY."[39]

On 24 February 2023, Hadwin released her new original single, "Breakable," on both YouTube and on music streaming services. She wrote the song with producer Kevin Bowe who works with her.[40][41] On 7 April 2023, she released a new single, again an original, "That Girl Don't Live Here".[42] On 28 July 2023, she released a new single, a soulful original ballad, "Call Me Back".[43]

On 29 September, 2023, Hadwin released her 4th original single of the year, a hard-rocking tale appropriate for the Halloween season (or any season, really, as the lyrics are about the challenges of maintaining mental health when stressed), titled "Monsters".[44] It is considered to be a quite upbeat tune for a serious topic in the lyrics. A number of listeners reacting to the song noted that it is a positive feature of the song.[45][46][47][48] On 11 October, 2023, it was reported by Xander Zellner, a journalist and charts/data analyst at Billboard, that Hadwin's self-released original single "Monsters" charted at No.19 on Billboard's "Hard Rock Digital Song Sales" chart.[49]

On 24 November 2023, Hadwin released her fifth new original single of the year, a fun, fast, hard-rocking upbeat Christmas song titled "Christmas Rocks" to both YouTube and streaming services.[50]

Discography[edit]

Original Singles[edit]

As featured artist[edit]

Covers[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ America's Got Talent (14 August 2018), Courtney Hadwin - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag - Best Audio - America's Got Talent - August 14, 2010, retrieved 3 November 2023
  2. ^ Duke, Simon (13 June 2017). "Watch: Courtney Hadwin, the Peterlee school girl with the huge voice". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  3. ^ Macdonald, Kenny (13 July 2017). "Inverness Granddad Is 'So Proud' Of Voice Kids Star Courtney". Inverness Courier. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b Duke, Simon (13 June 2017). "Watch: Courtney Hadwin, the Peterlee school girl with the huge voice". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Mum of America's Got Talent star Courtney Hadwin speaks of pride after teenager singer lands record deal". www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Courtney Hadwin, Child-actor, County Durham". Mandy.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  7. ^ "America's Got Talent star Courtney Hadwin prepares for live shows". Hexham Courant. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  8. ^ "TeenStar – TALENT CONTEST | TEENSTAR 2015 NATIONAL GRAND FINALE". www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  9. ^ Duke, Simon (13 June 2017). "Watch: Courtney Hadwin, the Peterlee school girl with the huge voice". nechronicle. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Courtney Hadwin wins Performer of the Year Award | The Academy at Shotton Hall". www.shottonhallacademy.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Teenage singing star Courtney Hadwin wows judges on America's Got Talent". Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  12. ^ "The Voice Kids charity encore". Daily Echo. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  13. ^ Duke, Simon (12 June 2017). "The Voice Kids: Peterlee School Girl Courtney Hadwin Wows With Tina Turner Cover In Blind Audition". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Courtney". Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Courtney". Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  16. ^ Seemayer, Zach (12 June 2018). "America's Got Talent: 13 Year Old With Social Anxiety Turns Into Janis Joplin When She Sings". etonline.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  17. ^ Brandle, Lars (12 June 2018). "Watch A British Teen's Golden Buzzer-Winning Performance Of "Hard to Handle" On America's Got Talent". billboard.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  18. ^ Seemayer, Zach (12 June 2018). "America's Got Talent: 13-Year-Old With Social Anxiety Turns Into Janis Joplin When She Sings!". ET (Entertainment Tonight). Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  19. ^ America's Got Talent (12 June 2018), Courtney Hadwin: 13-Year-Old Golden Buzzer Winning Performance – America's Got Talent 2018, retrieved 19 November 2018
  20. ^ "Courtney Hadwin". NBC. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Courtney Hadwin Speaks On "America's Got Talent" Controversy". Forbes. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  22. ^ Macdonald, Kenny (13 July 2017). "Inverness Granddad Is "So Proud" Of Voice Kids Star Courtney". Inverness Courier. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  23. ^ "AGT – s13 – AGT Live in Vegas". NBC. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  24. ^ Angermiller, Michele Amabile (18 December 2018). "'America's Got Talent' Rocker Courtney Hadwin Signs Record Deal". Variety. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  25. ^ "British America's Got Talent finalist Courtney Hadwin signs with Syco and Arista". Music Week. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  26. ^ "America's Got Talent: The Champions", Nbc.com, retrieved 9 December 2018
  27. ^ "Archived copy". www.amazon.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. ^ Angermiller, Michele Amabile (17 December 2018). "'America's Got Talent' Rocker Courtney Hadwin Signs Record Deal". Variety. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  29. ^ Lipka, Carolyn. "Courtney Hadwin Speaks On 'America's Got Talent' Controversy". Forbes. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  30. ^ "America's Got Talent singer Courtney Hadwin to perform at 50th anniversary of Woodstock musical festival alongside The Killers, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, Miley Cyrus and Jay-Z". Sunderland Echo. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Woodstock 50 Was Just Canceled. Here's Everything to Know About the Ill-Fated Festival". TIME. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Woodstock 50 Officially Off". Variety. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Woodstock 50 Releases All Artists From Contracts After Maryland Announcement". Billboard. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  34. ^ "How Coronavirus Is Wreaking Havoc on Music". Rolling Stone. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Albums Postponed Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak". Billboard. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  36. ^ "Courtney Hadwin - 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (Official Video) - YouTube']". YouTube. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  37. ^ "Spotify - 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over']". Spotify. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  38. ^ "Barracuda plans new event, Frequency fest cancelled". Live Music Intelligence. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  39. ^ "Courtney Hadwin - Breakable (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Courtney Hadwin - 'Breakable' (Official Video) - YouTube]". YouTube. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  41. ^ "Spotify -- 'Breakable']". Spotify. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  42. ^ "Courtney Hadwin 'That Girl Don't Live Here'". Spotify. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  43. ^ "Courtney Hadwin 'Call Me Back'". Spotify. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  44. ^ "Courtney Hadwin 'Monsters'". Spotify. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  45. ^ "COURTNEY HADWIN - MONSTERS (REACTION)". YouTube. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  46. ^ "Courtney Hadwin - Monsters (Official Audio) Watch Along & brief commentary !". YouTube. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  47. ^ "Courtney Hadwin - Monsters Reaction!". YouTube. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  48. ^ "Courtney Hadwin - Monsters (Official Audio Reaction)". YouTube. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  49. ^ "10 First-Timers on Billboard's Charts This Week: Del Water Gap, The Beaches, Armand Hammer & More". Billboard. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  50. ^ "Courtney Hadwin 'Christmas Rocks'". Spotify. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  51. ^ "Courtney Hadwin - Pretty Little Thing with lyrics". YouTube. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  52. ^ Brownson, Sophie. "Courtney Hadwin shares stage with Bruce Springsteen's guitarist Stevie Van Zandt and Sam Fender". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  53. ^ "Little Steven and the Disciples Of Soul with Jimmy Barnes, Peter Garrett, Sam Fender, Courtney Hadwin, Jake Clemons, Garland Jeffreys and Bruce Springsteen". Retrieved 23 August 2023.

External links[edit]

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