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 The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

competition show ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

'' (AGT) the next 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 "over 310 million" times, according to show host Tyra Banks as she introduced Hadwin.

Early life

Hadwin lives in Hesleden in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

; she has a brother Paul and a sister Melissa, three and four years younger, respectively. Her parents are Paul and Ann-Marie Hadwin, née Storey. Courtney attended Hesleden Primary School and until autumn 2018 studied at The Academy at Shotton Hall in Peterlee. Courtney Hadwin has also trained at Shotton Hall Theatre School at TASH in Peterlee, Peanuts Master Classes, Kate Sirs School of Music, and Julie Miles' Vocal Ovation. She was a 2018 finalist on TV's ''

''. Prior to her involvement on AGT she appeared on the first series of '' The Voice Kids'' in the UK and afterwards on '' America's Got Talent: The Champions''.

Career

Early performances

In April 2015, Hadwin auditioned for her first singing competition at

TeenStar TeenStar is a singing competition in the United Kingdom, it is run by Future Music. The competition is open for singers, vocalists and solo artists to enter either in their teenage or pre teen years. Participants compete in regional auditions t ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, England, with her version of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's "

Make You Feel My Love "Make You Feel My Love", also known as "To Make You Feel My Love", is a song written by Bob Dylan for his album '' Time Out of Mind'', released in September 1997. It was first released commercially in August 1997 by Billy Joel for his compilation ...

", and reached the competition's grand final. She also gained notice when she was filmed performing Great Big World and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

's soaring duet " Say Something" in September 2015 during lunchtime at her school. In April 2016, she won

Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...

's Performer of the Year Award, and was a finalist in the Beyond The Lights award ceremony. She was the opening act for

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge was an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consists of sisters Joni, Kim, Debbie, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. I ...

at a

South Tyneside South Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is bordered by all four other boroughs in Tyne and Wear: Gateshead to the west, Sunderland in the south, North Tyneside to the north and Newcastl ...

Festival concert in July 2017, where she sang for more than 18,000 people. In January 2018, she sang in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

at an event for U-Support, raising funds for children with life-limiting illnesses and disabilities.

2017: The Voice Kids UK

Hadwin performed

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

's " Nutbush City Limits" in a blind audition for '' The Voice Kids UK'' . 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. 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. For her semi-final performance, she sang

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

's "

I Got You (I Feel Good) "I Got You (I Feel Good)" is a song by the American singer James Brown. First recorded for the 1964 album '' Out of Sight'' and then released in an alternate take as a single in 1965 and included on the compilation album of the same name, it w ...

". For her final performance on 16 July 2017, she sang the

torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...

" And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", from the Broadway musical ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. It is based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, and p ...

'', before being eliminated as a finalist.

2018–2019: ''America's Got Talent''

In her audition for the 13th season of ''

'', Hadwin sang

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

's " Hard to Handle". She appeared a bit shy or bashful as she walked onstage talked before singing and dancing wildly, getting the audience up on their feet.

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

told her "you sing and you're like a lion." A huge fan of

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

, Howie Mandel referenced "

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

going to the

Monterey Pop Festival The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16-18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix Ex ...

" and seeing a young girl (Joplin) who no one has ever seen or had known of before. He was the first to weigh in on Hadwin's performance. Mandel couldn't have been more enthusiastic as he compared her rendition to Joplin's debut. Hadwin's performance inspired Mandel to give her a Golden Buzzer, sending her directly to the live shows. Mandel compared Hadwin's singing to Janis Joplin. Hadwin's audition video received more than 50 million views on '' AGT''s YouTube channel in its first five months. Hadwin returned for ''AGT's'' quarter-finals on 14 August 2018, singing "

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is a song written and recorded by James Brown. Released as a two-part single in 1965, it was Brown's first song to reach the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Top Ten, peaking at number eight, and was a number-one R&B hit, top ...

" by

. 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

'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, friends, and school teachers 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. Hadwin's grandfather spoke about how she is painfully shy and has sung in her sleep. Hadwin says she is an avid bouncy castle lover. On the results show on 19 September, she sang "

Piece of My Heart "Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart ...

" with rock band The Struts. Although she failed to win ''AGT's'' grand prize, she went to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

to perform five live shows with winner

Shin Lim Liang-Shun Lim (; born September 25, 1991), known professionally as Shin Lim, is a Canadian-American magician, recognized for his use of card manipulation and sleight of hand. He is known for elaborate close-up card magic routines, during wh ...

at the Paris Hotel and Casino from 2–4 November 2018. In December 2018, Hadwin signed a record deal with

Syco Music Syco Music, originally S Records, was a division of Syco Entertainment which operated from 2002 until 2020. The label was founded by British entrepreneur, record executive and media personality Simon Cowell, who was formerly employed at Bertels ...

and

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

. 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.

2019–present: Pandemic hiatus and debut as songwriter

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 Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...

, " Old Town Road" by

Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), better known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2018 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running nu ...

, " Sucker" by the

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...

, and " Someone You Loved" by

Lewis Capaldi Lewis Marc Capaldi (born 7 October 1996) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. In March 2019, his single "Someone You Loved" (2018) topped the UK Singles Chart where it remained for seven weeks, and in November 2019, it reached number ...

. She has been described as being "an exceptional talent with a voice and spirit well beyond her years." When an interviewer asked her about her artistic influences, she said, "From

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

... It's a really long list!" 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. Unfortunately, the event organizers encountered significant difficulties in finding a venue (given the disastrous Woodstock '99 festival) and that and a combination of other funding and management problems led to the cancellation of the event. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

severely limited the live performance of music, and caused or contributed to the cancellation of many music festivals, concert tours and new album releases for years. During the hiatus, Hadwin released a cover of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's song " Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" on 20 November 2020 to

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

and music streaming services. Hadwin was signed to perform at the FM4 Frequency Festival music festival in 2021. However, the festival was cancelled again. At some unknown point, she parted company with the label which inherited her account after

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." 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. On 7 April 2023, she released a new single, again an original, "That Girl Don't Live Here". On 28 July 2023, she released a new single, a soulful original ballad, "Call Me Back". On 29 September, 2023, Hadwin released her 4th original single of the year, a hard-rocking tale appropriate for the

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

season (or any season, really, as the lyrics are about the challenges of maintaining mental health when stressed), titled "Monsters". 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. On 11 October, 2023, Xander Zellner, a journalist and charts/data analyst at

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

, reported that Hadwin's self-released original single "Monsters" charted at No.19 on Billboard's "Hard Rock Digital Song Sales" chart. On 24 November 2023, Hadwin released her fifth new original single of the year, a fun, fast, hard-rocking upbeat

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

song titled "Christmas Rocks" to both YouTube and streaming services. On 30 April 2024, Hadwin performed for

at New York Pops' 41st Birthday Gala in his honor, On 29 October 2024, Hadwin recorded all her songs live at Metropolis Studios. Hadwin has shared a music video for her pop-punk influenced single ‘Spellbound’. Hadwin has shared a music video for her classic blues single ‘You Only Love Me When I Lie’. Courtney signed to MN2S agency in 2024, but left because they couldn't get her any gigs and she signed to Oliver Moheda at Total Artist Management for management.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Little Miss Jagged'' (2025)

Singles

* "Breakable" (2023) * "That Girl Don't Live Here" (2023) * "Call Me Back" (2023) * "Monsters" (2023) * "Christmas Rocks" (2023) * "Jagged" (2024) * "Spellbound" (2025) * "You Only Love Me When I Lie" (2025)

As featured artist

* 2019 ''Sun City''

Little Steven Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...

and the Disciples Of Soul with

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon Barnes ( Swan; born 28 April 1956) is an Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music a ...

Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his sign ...

Sam Fender Samuel Thomas Fender (born 25 April 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in North Shields (near Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle), Fender discovered his passion for music during his teenage years and released sev ...

, Courtney Hadwin, Jake Clemons,

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art histo ...

, and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Covers

* 2019 ''The Cover Sessions'' * 2020 '' Happy Xmas (War is Over)''

References

External links

Courtney Hadwin
Official Website * * * *
Courtney Hadwin
on YouTube
Courtney Hadwin VEVO
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadwin, Courtney English child singers People from Hartlepool People from Peterlee Musicians from County Durham America's Got Talent contestants Living people 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers 2004 births