''Perfectly Imperfect'' is the debut EP by American recording artist

Grace VanderWaal Grace Avery VanderWaal (born January 15, 2004) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for her distinctive vocals and has often accompanied herself on the ukulele. VanderWaal began her musical career by posting videos of her ...

, the winner of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised 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 distribu ...

'' (''AGT''), season 11. Released on December 2, 2016, it includes all four songs that VanderWaal wrote and performed on ''AGT'' and another original song by VanderWaal, "Gossip Girl". Produced by

Greg Wells Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, record producer, songwriter and audio engineer. Wells has songs on over 130 million albums sold. He has worked with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana Grande, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Adele, Rufus ...

, the EP debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart at number nine. It was the best selling EP of 2016.

Development and personnel

VanderWaal, who was then 12 years old, signed a recording deal with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in September 2016, soon after winning ''AGT'', and started production of her debut EP, ''Perfectly Imperfect''. She began recording sessions in New York in October. Pre-orders for the recording entitled purchasers to an instant download of VanderWaal's song "I Don't Know My Name", which was the song she auditioned with at ''AGT''. The EP was released on December 2, 2016."Grace VanderWaal Unleashes Stunning Vocals on New Single 'Clay'"
''Billboard'' magazine, December 2, 2016 There are five songs on the EP, including all four of VanderWaal's original songs from ''AGT'' and another original, "Gossip Girl". The recording is produced and mixed by

, who is also given a songwriting credit on "Beautiful Thing" and credited with arrangements and instrumentals on the album, except that VanderWaal is credited with ukulele playing on all of the songs except "Clay" and "Beautiful Thing"; Autumn Rowe is given a songwriting credit on three of the songs. VanderWaal's sister Olivia is credited with art design.Liner notes, ''Perfectly Imperfect'', December 2016 A Walmart version features one additional song, "Missing You".

Singles and commercial uses

The first single from the EP, "I Don't Know My Name", was released on November 18, 2016, the same day the EP became available for pre-order. The song was included as an immediate free download with EP pre-orders. The song debuted at number 24 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart and number 37 on ''Billboard''s

Digital Song Sales The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

chart. In Australia, it debuted at number 82 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

. The song debuted at No. 38 on ''Billboard''s Hot Canadian Digital Singles Chart. Another song on the album, "Light the Sky", is featured as background music in Google's "Year in Search 2016" video. VanderWaal also released lyrics videos on her YouTubeVEVO channel for the songs on the EP. The first was for "I Don't Know My Name", on November 18, 2016, which has accumulated more than 30 million views. The next was for "Clay", on December 2. "Light the Sky" followed on December 14, "Beautiful Thing" was released on December 21, and "Gossip Girl" debuted on December 28, 2016. The lyrics videos for the five songs have been viewed a total of more than 55 million times. Isis Briones of ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since 2015, following ...

'' wrote: "Through her lyrics alone, fans are able to feel exactly what her song is about – and once you pair them with her angelic melodies, there's definitely no stopping the feels." In August 2017, Windex used VanderWaal's "Beautiful Thing" as the soundtrack for an advertisement.Bell, Sadie
"Grace VanderWaal's 'Beautiful Thing' Becomes a Tear-Jerker in New Windex Commercial"
''Billboard'', August 8, 2017

Promotion

VanderWaal has been promoting the EP with a series of appearances and performances. She performed "Light the Sky" and " Riptide" at halftime during the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

game at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsyl ...

in New York City on November 6, 2016. VanderWaal performed "I Don't Know My Name" in the 2016

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States wit ...

, on NBC's ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' show on November 28 and at the Christmas tree lighting at

South Street Seaport The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District, in Lower Manhattan. The Seaport is a designated historic district ...

, in New York City, on November 29, where she also sang "Light the Sky". She sang "I Don't Know My Name" on ''

The Wendy Williams Show ''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show is distributed by Debmar-Me ...

'' on December 2, at

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album '' She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to ach ...

's annual holiday fundraiser at the Beacon Theatre on December 3, on CBS's '' The Talk'' on December 8 and at Z100's

Jingle Ball Tour 2016 The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour 2016 is a national holiday tour by iHeartMedia, which began on November 29, 2016 in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. The tour ended on December 18, 2016 in Sunrise, Florida at the BB&T Center. The performan ...

stop at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2016. In addition to her lyrics videos for the songs "I Don't Know My Name" and "Clay", VanderWaal released a video to promote ''Perfectly Imperfect'' on her YouTube VEVO channel featuring the song "I Don't Know My Name".

Critical reception

Lindsay Peoples, writing for ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

'', called the first four songs, after hearing them on ''AGT'', "not only catchy but emotional and unique to her own sound, a mix of raw and folk". ''Billboard'' magazine praised VanderWaal's vocals, finding them "reminiscent of a

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

hybrid". Brianna Wiest of ''Teen Vogue'' wrote: "The EP takes you through Grace's range, touching on issues that are all-too-well-known for young people, as well as soul-stokingly beautiful medleys that almost anyone could relate to. ... see ... her ability to master both a softer, vowel-breaking folk tone as well as push through a serious power-ballad by the end. It's rare that you see both at once, but that's part of the magic of Grace's sound: it's at once completely new, and totally unexpected." ''

Vulture.com ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

'' called "Beautiful Thing" "a pure delight, devoid of cynicism and complication ... ungwith a voice that sounds ikeit should belong to a wistful 33-year-old." After Windex used the song as the soundtrack to an advertisement, ''Billboard'' added that VanderWaal can: "make you cry while watching an advertisement for a cleaning product ... ecause of herstriking vocals and sincere lyrics". Jamie Weikel of the ''

Reading Eagle The ''Reading Eagle'' is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania. A family-owned newspaper until the spring of 2019, its reported circulation is 37,000 (daily) and 50,000 (Sundays). It serves the Reading and Berks County region of P ...

'' commented that VanderWaal's "raspy voice makes her music iconic and lovable".

Commercial performance

The EP debuted on the US ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart at number nine.Caulfield, Keith
"''The Hamilton Mixtape'' Debuts at No. 1 on ''Billboard'' 200 Albums Chart"
''

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 ...

'', December 11, 2016 and on ''Billboard''s

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Monday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen SoundScan, and published every Tuesday by ''Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding ...

at number eleven."On the Charts...This Week"
''FYI Music News'', December 12, 2016 In its debut week, it sold about 52,000 units, including 47,000 in physical form. It was the best selling EP of 2016.Angermiller, Michele Amabile
"''America’s Got Talent'' Winner Grace VanderWaal to Return for Live Results Show"
''Variety'', July 27, 2017

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

Videos of the songs on the EP
at VanderWaal's YouTube VEVO channel {{Authority control 2016 EPs Albums produced by Greg Wells Columbia Records EPs Syco Music EPs Grace VanderWaal albums