Sara Zofia Egwu-James (born 10 June 2008) is a Polish singer and songwriter. She won the fourth season of the Polish talent show ''

The Voice Kids ''The Voice Kids'' is a version of '' The Voice'' TV series franchise in which children participate. Versions The first such variation was '' The Voice Kids'' from the Netherlands, which was followed by other international variants: : Franchise ...

'' in 2021, and represented Poland in the

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021 The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 19th edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The contest was held on 19 December 2021 at La Seine Musicale in Paris, France, followi ...

with the song " Somebody", finishing as a runner-up. James was also a finalist in the 17th season of ''

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 ...

'' in 2022. She released her debut studio album, ''Playhouse'', in 2024.

Early life and education

Sara Zofia Egwu-James was born on 10 June 2008 in

Słubice Słubice () is a border town in the Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. Located on the Oder river, it lies directly opposite the city of Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany, which it was a part of as ''Dammvorstadt'' until 1945. As of 2019, the town h ...

, Poland, to Polish mother Arleta Dancewicz, and Nigerian father John Egwu-James. Her parents were married, and divorced. James's father is also a singer, and was a contestant on Polish talent shows: ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' and (). Her mother is a graduate of

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

from the

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań The Adam Mickiewicz University (; Latin: ''Universitas Studiorum Mickiewicziana Posnaniensis'') is a research university in Poznań, Poland. Due to its history, the university is traditionally considered among Poland's most reputable institution ...

. James has a younger half-siblings, sister Michelle James, and brothers, John James Junior and Jakub Dancewicz. She changed schools due to the racism she experienced from her peers because of the colour of her skin. In 2022, she graduated from the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Primary School in Ośno Lubuskie, Poland, and the Stanisław Moniuszko First Degree State Music School in Słubice, where she studied piano. She then enrolled at the Academic Secondary School for General Education in Słubice. James also studied singing at the Słubice Municipal Cultural Centre. In 2024, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...

(ADHD), which she treats with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.

Career

At six, James won a festival of

Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...

Szczecinek Szczecinek (; ) is a historic city in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, capital of Szczecinek County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, with a population of more than 40,000 (2011). The town's total area is . The turbulent history of Szcze ...

, Poland. In 2020, she came third in the World Talent Show, and won an award in the final of the Lubuski Song Festival "Pro Arte" where she also placed third. In 2021, she competed in the fourth season of the Polish talent show ''

''. She advanced to the final, and was voted the winner. Through another Polish talent show, (), she was selected to represent Poland in the

with the song " Somebody". At Junior Eurovision, she finished in second place with 218 points (102 points from online voting and 116 points from the jury), six points behind the Armenian representative and eventual winner, Maléna. In 2022, James auditioned for the 17th season of ''

''. Her performance of

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...

and

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal". It also appears as a surname.

's song " Lovely" resonated with the judges and led

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 ...

to push the Golden Buzzer, sending her directly to the live shows. She qualified for the final, where she performed with

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

, but did not make the top five. In 2023, she appeared on the show's spin-off, '' America's Got Talent: All-Stars''. James won the 2023

Fryderyk The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the US Grammy and British BRIT Awar ...

award for Phonographic Debut of the Year. She voiced

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki *, a Russian film directed by Yevgeni Kotov * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', a 1989 and 1991 ...

in the Polish-language version of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's 2023 musical fantasy film ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

'', and recorded songs for its soundtrack. Her debut studio album, ''Playhouse'', was released under

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

on 8 November 2024. It earned a Fryderyk nomination for Album of the Year – Pop.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Sara 2008 births 21st-century Polish women singers 21st-century Polish singers Junior Eurovision Song Contest entrants Living people People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Polish child singers Polish people of Nigerian descent America's Got Talent contestants English-language singers from Poland