Courtney Hadwin

Courtney Hadwin was born on July 6, 2004, and lives in Hesleden, County Durham, England. She attended Hesleden Primary School and later The Academy at Shotton Hall in Peterlee. Her early musical training included Shotton Hall Theatre School at TASH, Peanuts Master Classes, Kate Sirs School of Music, and Julie Miles’ Vocal Ovation. Hadwin first gained public recognition in April 2015 when she auditioned for TeenStar in Newcastle, England, performing Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” and reaching the competition’s grand final. In April 2016, she won Hartlepool’s Performer of the Year Award and was a finalist in the Beyond The Lights award ceremony. Her early performance milestones included opening for Sister Sledge at the South Tyneside Festival in July 2017, where she performed for over 18,000 people, and a charity event in January 2018 for U-Support, raising funds for children with life-limiting illnesses.

Hadwin’s career progressed significantly with her appearances on major television talent shows. In 2017, she competed on the first season of ITV’s *The Voice Kids UK*, where she was mentored by Danny Jones and reached the final. The following year, she appeared on the 13th season of NBC’s *America’s Got Talent*. Her audition, featuring Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle,” went viral and earned her a Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel, who compared her to Janis Joplin. Her performances on the show generated international attention, with her audition video accumulating over 50 million views on *AGT*’s YouTube channel. She advanced through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, performing songs like James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.” Hadwin reached the finals, performing Tina Turner’s “River Deep – Mountain High” and a duet of “Piece of My Heart” with The Struts.

Following her *America’s Got Talent* success, Hadwin signed a record deal with Syco Music and Arista Records in December 2018. In January 2019, she competed on *America’s Got Talent: The Champions*, where she debuted her original song, “Pretty Little Thing.” She released her first EP, “The Cover Sessions,” in October 2019, featuring covers of popular songs. After a period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which several scheduled festival performances were canceled, Hadwin transitioned to an independent artist path. Beginning in February 2023, she independently released several original singles, including “Breakable,” “That Girl Don’t Live Here,” “Call Me Back,” and “Monsters.” Her single “Monsters” charted at No. 19 on Billboard’s “Hard Rock Digital Song Sales” chart in October 2023. In 2024, she performed for Clive Davis at New York Pops’ 41st Birthday Gala and recorded her songs live at Metropolis Studios. Her debut album, *Little Miss Jagged*, is scheduled for release in 2025, with singles like “Jagged,” “Spellbound,” and “You Only Love Me When I Lie” preceding it.