The Voice of Grace VanderWaal Is Going to Be Heard Everywhere — Singer Stories

In Conversation • Authentic Diaries

An Old Soul with a Gold Ukulele: Inside the Melancholy, Wit, and Worldview of a 14-Year-Old Grace VanderWaal

By Singer Stories Editorial Team

Suffern, New York singer-songwriter Grace VanderWaal has never experienced a past-life regression, and if you asked her, she would tell you she has absolutely no idea what one even is. Yet, listening to her perform, it feels entirely impossible that this astute, ukulele-strumming musician hasn't been around the block before.

Having begun composing her own original melodies at the tender age of three, taking the crown of NBC’s America’s Got Talent Season 11 at twelve, and single-handedly penning or co-writing every track on her lyrical 2017 debut album, Just the Beginning, VanderWaal carries an artistic gravity that completely defies her youth.

On nuanced, emotionally complex arrangements like "Moonlight" and the defiantly independent "Sick of Being Told," her distinctively hoarse, textured, and seasoned acoustic delivery displays the unshakeable self-assurance of a vintage vaudevillian veteran. "I've never experienced a regression," she reflects thoughtfully on her unique disconnect from her peers, "but I can honestly state that I don't bond well with other 14-year-olds."

The Origin

Writing original compositions from age 3 and winning America's Got Talent by age 12, creating an completely unvarnished trajectory.

The Sound

A beautifully raspy, hoarse, and textured tone carrying the poignant narrative weight of a seasoned indie veteran.

The Unfiltered Session: A Candid Dialogue

Were you a "sufferer" as a kid growing up in Suffern?

Ha! Everyone there, I believe, is a little bit. But no, it's actually quite pleasant. I enjoy our home there, and I continue to live with my mother. I'm only 14 years old.

Who do you spend your time hanging out with if you don't naturally get along with teenagers your own age?

I simply spend time with my sister. She's 17 years old and a fantastic artist. She works in a variety of mediums, but her absolute favorite is painting.

"People don't take the time at school to get to know their peers or learn about their hobbies. Music was just always there for the majority of my existence."

What was the exact spark about music that drew you into its world at such a remarkably young age?

I'm not sure. I'm sorry, but I'm unable to respond fully. It had been there for the majority of my existence. But it was probably movies like "High School Musical" that inspired me to do it. And I was treated as if I were completely normal in class. But, guess what? People don't take the time at school to get to know their peers or learn about their hobbies. In any case, I was home-schooled during "America's Got Talent".

How is your education going now that you're constantly balancing life on the road?

When I'm out on the road, I always home school and then attend regular school whenever I get back home.

You won the grand prize on "America's Got Talent." Instead of taking the traditional celebratory route to Disneyland, you chose to hire expert treehouse architect Pete Nelson to build a custom hideaway for you?

"What would you do if you won?" they questioned all of the competitors during an "AGT" Q&A session. "What would I do?" I kept thinking. "I'm not sure!" But, as I was considering it, poof! My mind wandered straight to the concept of a tree house.

And you even have an official doghouse built up there, right?

Yes. I have a pug named Frankenstein, but he's currently sleeping right next to me—he goes with me on the road.

Do you ever use that peaceful treehouse space to keep a private journal?

No. I'd like for there to be a clean schism between my spaces.

What are your absolute biggest wishes looking toward the horizon?

A massive hit single. Believe it or not, I haven't had one yet!

A Retrospective Look at the Road

VanderWaal's journey during this defining era stands as a timeless marker of raw authenticity in pop music history. Balancing small indie venue floorboards with her pug Frankenstein by her side, she maintained a deliberate boundary between her public artistry and her private teenage world. It's that precise sense of separation that kept her art so uncorrupted and real.

VINTAGE TOUR ARCHIVE

• Venue: Slim’s, 333 11th St., San Francisco
• Schedule: 7:30 p.m. • February 20
• Status: $22.50 Ticket Tier • Officially Sold Out
• Historical Context: An intimate, legendary room captured during the initial breakout of the Just the Beginning era.

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