Courtney Hadwin

Courtney Hadwin

Courtney Hadwin is an English singer-songwriter from Sunderland, United Kingdom. She is known for appearing on the first series of The Voice Kids UK in 2017 and the 13th season of America’s Got Talent in 2018, where her audition performance attracts wide attention and leads to a Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel. She later appears on America’s Got Talent: The Champions and continues to release original material as an independent artist.

Early life and background

Hadwin lives in Hesleden, County Durham. She grows up there with a brother, Paul, and a sister, Melissa, and her parents are Paul and Ann-Marie Hadwin, née Storey. She attends Hesleden Primary School and later studies at The Academy at Shotton Hall in Peterlee. She also trains at Shotton Hall Theatre School at TASH in Peterlee, Peanuts Master Classes, Kate Sirs School of Music, and Julie Miles' Vocal Ovation.

Early performances

Before her television breakthrough, Hadwin auditions for TeenStar in Newcastle in April 2015 with Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” and reaches the grand final. In September 2015, she is filmed singing Great Big World and Christina Aguilera’s “Say Something” during lunchtime at school. In April 2016, she wins Hartlepool’s Performer of the Year Award and is a finalist in the Beyond The Lights award ceremony. In July 2017, she opens for Sister Sledge at a South Tyneside Festival concert, performing before an audience of more than 18,000. In January 2018, she sings at a U-Support event in Southampton that raises funds for children with life-limiting illnesses and disabilities.

Television competitions

The Voice Kids UK

On The Voice Kids UK, Hadwin performs Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits” in her blind audition. Will.i.am asks her to repeat part of the act so he can watch her dance, and Danny Jones becomes her mentor. She goes on to perform “Dancing in the Street” in the battle round against Eboni Green and Hollie Firmin, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” in the semi-final, and “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls in the final, where she is eliminated as a finalist.

America’s Got Talent

On America’s Got Talent, Hadwin auditions with Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle”. Her performance draws attention for her stage presence and singing style, and Simon Cowell compares her singing to a lion. Howie Mandel compares her to Janis Joplin and gives her a Golden Buzzer, sending her straight to the live shows. Her audition video gains tens of millions of views on AGT’s YouTube channel within its first months and later reaches more than 200 million views by the time of the live broadcasts. She returns for the quarter-finals with James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, for the semi-final with Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild”, and for the final with Tina Turner’s “River Deep – Mountain High”. On the results show, she sings “Piece of My Heart” with The Struts. She does not win the series, but later performs five live shows with winner Shin Lim in Las Vegas.

America’s Got Talent: The Champions

In January 2019, Hadwin appears on America’s Got Talent: The Champions, where she performs her first original song, “Pretty Little Thing”.

Recordings and later career

In December 2018, Hadwin signs a record deal with Syco Music and Arista Records. Her first EP, The Cover Sessions, is released in October 2019 and includes live versions of Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times”, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”, the Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker”, and Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved”. During a period with fewer live performances, she releases a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” in 2020.

She later works independently and writes original songs with producer Kevin Bowe. Her self-released singles include “Breakable”, “That Girl Don’t Live Here”, “Call Me Back”, “Monsters”, and “Christmas Rocks”. “Monsters” reaches No. 19 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart. She also releases the pop-punk-influenced “Spellbound” and the classic blues single “You Only Love Me When I Lie”.

Influences and style

Hadwin cites a long list of influences including Little Richard, James Brown, Janis Joplin, and Mick Jagger. Her work is associated with rock, blues, soul and hard-rock performance styles, and her later releases move between pop-punk, blues and hard rock.

Other appearances and activity

Hadwin is slated for Woodstock 50 before the event is cancelled. She is also signed to perform at the FM4 Frequency Festival, which is cancelled. In 2024, she performs for Clive Davis at the New York Pops’ 41st Birthday Gala in his honour, records all her songs live at Metropolis Studios, and signs with MN2S before later moving to Total Artist Management.