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USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Grace VanderWaal stole hearts on 'AGT' nearly a decade ago. Where is the singer now?
Grace VanderWaal may not be a ukulele-strumming wunderkind anymore, but her talent sparkles just the same. The singer-songwriter and former child star stole hearts on "America's Got Talent" nearly a decade ago as the winner of Season 11. VanderWaal, whose precocious vocal prowess at age 12 earned her a Golden Buzzer vote, was featured in NBC's "Greatest Golden Buzzers!" special on Tuesday, July 22. Since her "AGT" victory, VanderWaal, now 21, has carved a multifaceted career spanning music, film, and modeling. In April, she released her sophomore album "Childstar," an emotional body of work that sees VanderWaal reckon with her upbringing in the entertainment industry. "My whole life, I could tell everyone really wanted this narrative from me, a caricature of what people think child stardom is, I think more for entertainment gratification," said VanderWaal during an April appearance on the "Zach Sang Show." "Like, the white men in suits saying, 'You got to take off your clothes to sell something, honey.' ... It's not a cartoon like that, but it does still exist, and that's the more interesting conversation because it's much more subliminal, nuanced." Here's what to know about VanderWaal's life and career: Did Grace VanderWaal win 'AGT'? VanderWaal, who taught herself to play the ukulele at age 11 by watching YouTube videos, made a splash on "AGT" when she auditioned for the reality-competition series in 2016. The young singer wowed the judges with her raspy tone and performance of the original song "I Don't Know My Name." When asked by Simon Cowell if she thought she could win the show, VanderWaal modestly replied, "I mean, miracles can happen." VanderWaal's knockout audition struck a chord with Cowell's co-judge Howie Mandel, who voted her through to the next round with a Golden Buzzer designation. "This is a show about surprises," Mandel said. "I think you are a living, beautiful, walking miracle." VanderWaal endeared herself to America week after week and emerged victorious in the Season 11 finale, beating out mentalist duo The Clairvoyants and magician Jon Dorenbos. What albums, songs is Grace VanderWaal known for? Just three months after her "AGT" win, VanderWaal released the EP "Perfectly Imperfect," which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart. VanderWaal followed up her musical debut with her first full-length album, 2017's "Just the Beginning," which spawned the singles "Moonlight," "Sick of Being Told" and "So Much More Than This." That same year, VanderWaal was recognized with the Rising Star Award at Billboard's Women in Music event. The singer dropped another EP, "Letters Vol. 1," in November 2019. Following a nearly six-year hiatus, VanderWaal returned to the music scene in April 2025 with the album "Childstar." During her April interview on the "Zach Sang Show," VanderWaal reflected on the album's opening track, "Proud," which details the singer's struggles with early career success and "America's sweetheart" image as a child star. "I felt that. I knew that," said VanderWaal, who added that her home life was in turmoil around the time of her "AGT" win. "'Gratitude' is a word that holds a lot of negativity to me 'cause that word tortured me for a long, long time. ... I had to completely separate myself from emotion, neglect, pain, grief — these terrible deep feelings that I was feeling — because how dare I have those feelings when people that I even love in my household right now are struggling with their life, and I just practically won a $1 million." Grace VanderWaal interview: Teen sensation opens up about songwriting struggles in single 'Stray' What movies, TV shows has Grace VanderWaal starred in? VanderWaal made her acting debut in 2020 with a starring role in "Stargirl," a Disney+ adaptation of the best-selling young adult novel of the same name. The Julia Hart-directed musical romance spawned a sequel, 2022's "Hollywood Stargirl." The singer reflected on her burgeoning acting career in a March 2020 interview with USA TODAY. "It's so different! Just because I'm not telling my own story," VanderWaal said at the time. "(At my shows), I know exactly what I want people to feel. But when you're telling someone else's story, it's more difficult to try to figure out what they would have wanted people to feel." More recently, VanderWaal appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis," playing teen pop star Vesta Sweetwater in the 2024 sci-fi epic starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Grace VanderWaal's first onscreen kiss in Disney's 'Stargirl' was a 'big deal' Is Grace VanderWaal a model? In September 2017, a then-13-year-old VanderWaal signed a modeling contract with IMG Models. Shortly after landing the deal, the singer was spotted attending the Marc Jacobs show at New York Fashion Week. VanderWaal has remained active in the fashion week circuit, attending New York Fashion Week in February 2019, Paris Fashion Week in March 2020 and September 2022, and a three-peat at New York Fashion Week in February 2025. Contributing: Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY; Karen Roberts, The Journal News
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lizzie McGuire star reveals parents 'worked in a bar' during Disney Channel fame
Jake Thomas' parents worked in a bar after he found Disney Channel fame. The 35-year-old actor - who is the son of former radio host Bob Thomas and actress Sinns Thomas - was cast opposite Hilary Duff in the comedy series Lizzie McGuire in the early 2000s, and is still "super grateful" for how his parents gave up their own careers in Tennessee so he could pursue acting in LA. Speaking on the Zach Sang Show, he explained: "My parents were still acting and writing. My dad wrote two episodes of Lizzie McGuire, but the focus definitely started to become giving me the best shot possible. I am super, super grateful and thankful that they did that for me. They gave me the best opportunity to get where I am today. It's massive. Massive. "I recongised too,that when I was following along on this success, they had to make sacrifices in their own lives to help support that. You're a kid, you've got to have your parent there the entire time and they're not getting paid to be there. "My parents have never really talked about this, but they took [jobs] waiting tables, nightshifts, while I was on a TV show, just so that one of them was always earning income and keeping health insurance and stuff like that. During that time, Jake - who also appeared opposide Jude Law in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and in more recent years has become a director - "hadn't realised" that his parents had given up so much for them, but now admits that he "can never thank them enough" for what they did. "Looking back on that now, I hadn't realised that growing up, but they worked at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios. I have memories of us going to Universal and meeting my mom, and she'd still be in her waitress uniform smelling of french fries and we'd pick her up from work go home. "Now, looking back on that, I'm like 'You went from being on TV, local celebrity to doing this...' Sacrificing that essentially so I could continue my career. I can never thank them enough."
Perth Now
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Lizzie McGuire star reveals parents 'worked in a bar' during Disney Channel fame
Jake Thomas' parents worked in a bar after he found Disney Channel fame. The 35-year-old actor - who is the son of former radio host Bob Thomas and actress Sinns Thomas - was cast opposite Hilary Duff in the comedy series Lizzie McGuire in the early 2000s, and is still "super grateful" for how his parents gave up their own careers in Tennessee so he could pursue acting in LA. Speaking on the Zach Sang Show, he explained: "My parents were still acting and writing. My dad wrote two episodes of Lizzie McGuire, but the focus definitely started to become giving me the best shot possible. I am super, super grateful and thankful that they did that for me. They gave me the best opportunity to get where I am today. It's massive. Massive. "I recongised too,that when I was following along on this success, they had to make sacrifices in their own lives to help support that. You're a kid, you've got to have your parent there the entire time and they're not getting paid to be there. "My parents have never really talked about this, but they took [jobs] waiting tables, nightshifts, while I was on a TV show, just so that one of them was always earning income and keeping health insurance and stuff like that. During that time, Jake - who also appeared opposide Jude Law in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and in more recent years has become a director - "hadn't realised" that his parents had given up so much for them, but now admits that he "can never thank them enough" for what they did. "Looking back on that now, I hadn't realised that growing up, but they worked at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios. I have memories of us going to Universal and meeting my mom, and she'd still be in her waitress uniform smelling of french fries and we'd pick her up from work go home. "Now, looking back on that, I'm like 'You went from being on TV, local celebrity to doing this...' Sacrificing that essentially so I could continue my career. I can never thank them enough."
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jon Bellion talks about Jungkook and BTS, mentioning 'so much autotune' as the ‘Seven' demo version played on set
Jon Bellion, a well-known artist from America, recently talked about Jungkook , his singing abilities, and BTS. Bellion starred as a guest on the 'Zach Sang Show', where a demo version of Jungkook's popular song 'Seven' was played for him to judge. Jon Bellion praises BTS Jungkook's vocals During the airing of the 'Zach Sang Show' on June 2, artist Jon Bellion, known for hits like 'All Time Low', 'The Good In Me', and 'Hand Of God', starred as a guest. During the show, a copy of BTS Jungkook's song 'Seven' was played for the artist to judge. The song 'Seven' is one of Jungkook's most famous songs. Not only that, Jon Bellion, Latto, and Theron Makiel Thomas all worked on co-writing the hit song as well. The demo version was played during the show, to which Jon Bellion first reacted with if the show really managed to get the demo version and then proceeded to pass the comment "so much autotune". His comment after he played the demo version directly pointed towards how this version sounded much different from the original version that was released with his albums. Jungkook's raw vocals managed to outshine the 'autotune' in the demo. Jon Bellion praises Jungkook and BTS for their talent and hard work During the show, Jon Bellion talked about working with Jungkook and the rest of the K-pop group. He commented how "these seven individuals are so incredibly gifted. They work so hard. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like News For Jack Nicholson, 87, He Has Been Confirmed To Be... Reportingly Undo They are built different." He also commended each of the members' dedication towards their craft and how even through military enlistment, all seven members have managed to carefully and effectively balance everything, which was 'incredible' of them. About Jungkook from BTS Jungkook has managed to make a big name for himself as a solo artist in the entertainment industry. Even with the military enlistment, the idol managed to rack up a lot of achievements. The idol is all set to finally finish his 18-month long enlistment. He will officially get discharged from his enlistment on June 11, taking one step forward towards a possible BTS group reunion. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Pink Villa
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Jungkook's lack of 'autotune' comes to light with demo reveal, Jon Bellion praises BTS for being 'built different'
BTS's Jungkook is making waves as a solo artist, impressing fans worldwide with his addictive tracks. Even during his 18-month military service, he continued to break records, solidifying his reputation as a talented artist. Recently, American artist Jon Bellion praised Jungkook and the BTS members, sharing his experience of collaborating on the track Seven, and revealing the demo version of the popular song for the first time. Jungkook's Seven's demo version revealed Jungkook 's solo endeavors cemented his status as one of the top K-pop soloists, with Seven (featuring Latto) being one of his most successful releases. Recently, on June 2, his song Seven's demo version was unveiled in the Zach Sang Show and immediately got viral on social media. Its songwriter, Jon Bellion, who was a guest of the episode, briefly commented on it. As the host said they were going to play the demo version, Jon Bellion questioned whether they really managed to get their hands on it. It already sparked curiosity as to how bad or good the version might be for him to react that way. As the demo version was being played, it sounded notably different from the final product, prompting Jon Bellion to say, "so much autotune." This contrast showcases Jungkook's impressive raw vocals, making the final version all the more impressive. Jungkook and BTS received praises Host Zach Sang mentioned how talented and resilient the BTS members were and said, "these seven individuals are so incredibly gifted. They work so hard." Jon Bellion, agreeing with Zach Sang's words, said, "They are built different." He indicated how they managed their career, military enlistment and other stuff, yet never failed to deliver anything short of excellence. The host lauded them saying how "incredible" each of them were. As per him, no matter how much they praised BTS, it would still be an "understatement." Jon Bellion then shared behind-the-scenes information with fans. He recalled during Seven's song recording, everytime the song got cut, Jungkook would diligently work on improving his English pronunciation to ensure the track sounded its best. It showcased the artist's dedication towards his craft.
