Eight years after winning “America’s Got Talent” at the age of 12, Grace VanderWaal is blowing people away yet again.
In honor of her role in Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Megalopolis,” the performer took the stage at the 47th Kennedy Center Honors where she sang, “The Impossible Dream.”
Coppola is one of the four honorees to be recognized for their artistic achievements.
While performing for the longtime director, fans on TikTok were stunned by how much VanderWaal has grown over the last eight years.
“I was just thinking about her,” one comment revealed. “Her vocal technique has grown so much. She has such a beautiful alto voice.”
“She’s about to have the biggest comeback,” another comment read. “And she deserves it all.”
VanderWaal became a household name when she took center stage during the 11th season of “America’s Got Talent” with her ukulele in hand and sang an original song titled “I Don’t Know My Name.”
The audition resulted in Howie Mandel hitting the Golden Buzzer. She would go on to win the competition.
In September, VanderWaal opened up about the public’s reaction to her no longer being the 12-year-old girl they were first introduced to nearly a decade ago.
“I had the weirdest experience recently,” she told Variety, reminiscing about a moment she ran into a fan walking out of a public bathroom.
“She was like, ‘You’re a woman! You’re a grown-up!’ I was like literally gentle-parenting her through this, but she wouldn’t get over it. She couldn’t handle it.”
It’s something that VanderWaal has grown concerned about. “I’ve been so afraid to shatter that dream for people,” she told Variety.
“But like, I want you to ask yourself, why do you feel personally affected? It is really sad, but it’s been very liberating to reclaim that for myself.”
The following month, after performing on the Today Show, VanderWaal admitted that she is over seeing the footage of her 12-year-old self standing on the “AGT” stages, wondering if she’ll ever be recognized for something else.
While talking with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, VanderWaal discussed about her experience on the set of “Megalopolis,” where she plays a pop star, revealing that it was “a lot” and admitting she doesn’t “belong in that world.”
“You want to continue doing music?” Hager asked. “Oh, yes,” VanderWaal replied.
The now 20-year-old is expected to release her second studio album in 2025.
