13-year-old Courtney Hadwin was, for obvious reasons, slightly nervous when she got up on stage. After all, this was the moment of truth for her – she had a minute and a half to charm the judges and qualify for the next stage of the competition.
The judges did their best to make her feel comfortable; to put her in a place where she was ready to deliver her best performance.
“It’s okay to be nervous. It’s totally understandable,” said judge Mel B. She then continued: “Listen, don’t be nervous. I know this is a big stage, and there’s lots of people here, but you’re here for a reason, so go for it and good luck.”
Boy, did Courtney take heed. It turned out to be just the encouragement she needed. A few seconds later, she jumped into “Hard to Handle”, a song originally by Otis Redding and re-recorded by the Black Crowes, and to say the judges and live audience were left stunned is a relative understatement. The charisma, the talent, the confident… the VOICE!
Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and support still hasn't sunk in yet thank you to the judges tyra and the full @AGT @nbc team #AGT #DREAMS pic.twitter.com/XaLLCX5tIV
— Courtney Hadwin (@CourtneyHadwin) June 13, 2018
By the time she’d finished, the judges could do little but sing her praises. “You’re like a lion,” Simon Cowell told the girl, while Howie Mandel explained: “You are not from this era, you’re from a whole different era.”
In fact, Mandel was so impressed that he even drew comparisons between Courtney and Janis Joplin, one of the 1960’s biggest stars
Janis Joplin was an amazing performer with a unique sound who passed away too young, she died of a heroin overdose at just age 27,
Howie Mandell talks about Janis Joplin’s career to Courtney and it seems as though Courtney already knows a lot about her famous inspiration.
As for the performance itself, I won’t say too much. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for the show… this is something you’ve never seen before!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPHVLxm8U-0
It’s not easy being a kid these days, this young lady came on stage not knowing if her performance would be accepted and putting herself before those judges and all those people to be judged is not an easy thing to do. She is not Janice Joplin but, she put her heart and soul in her performance and earned that golden buzzard.
Wishing her well with the live performances and hope the critics don’t strip her of her innocence. When you love music and feel the music in the way that she did here, it’s magical, uplifting, and pure and it shows.
