Judges Thought She Picked A Hard Song, But Once She Started Singing I Got Chills

In 2016, 12-year-old Grace VanderWaal auditioned for *America’s Got Talent* (AGT) with an original song. “I’m doing my own song tonight because I really think that it shows who I am,” she said before performing *”I Don’t Know My Name.”* Her ukulele and heartfelt lyrics wowed the audience.

Judge Howie Mandel was quick to praise her. “You’re a living, beautiful, walking miracle,” he said, hitting the Golden Buzzer and sending Grace straight to the live shows. He also predicted, “I think the world is going to know your name.”

Simon Cowell added, “I think you are the next Taylor Swift,” and the other judges shared their admiration, with Heidi Klum saying, “That is a big wow.”

Grace went on to win Season 11 of AGT, claiming the $1 million prize. Since then, she has launched her acting career, starring in *Stargirl*, and plays a pop star in Francis Ford Coppola’s *Megalopolis*.

Catch previous seasons of *America’s Got Talent* on Peacock.