America’s Got Talent is just a few hours away from naming a winner of season 13. Will it be 14-year-old singer Courtney Hadwin, electric violinist Brian King Joseph, comedian Vicki Barbolak, magician Shin Lim, aerialists Duo Transcend, singer Michael Ketterer, aerial dancers Zurcaroh, singer Glennis Grace, comedian Samuel J. Comroe, or vocalist Daniel Emmet? While we can’t say just yet who will come out victorious, past finalists do know exactly what they’re going through. Ahead of the finale, HollywoodLife caught up with season 11 winner Grace VanderWaal who had some advice for all of the potential winners.
“Never ever tell yourself you’re going to win, no matter how much you think so. Every time you think you might win, tell yourself ‘NO!'” the “I Don’t Know My Name” singer, 14, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY during a sit-down interview on Sept. 10 at an event celebrating her recent collaboration with Fender.
Grace added that she recommends mentally choosing which of your competitors you’d like to see win. “I always pick the clairvoyants which is ironic because they were the last people with me. But it’ll just make everything better,” she explains. “It’ll make your reaction better if they get chosen. It’ll make your reaction better if you get chosen. It’ll make your expectations better, it’ll make your mental health better, it’ll make your ego better. Just do it. I feel like that’s the biggest piece of advice I have for finalists.”
As for life after AGT, it’s pretty great. Immediately following our interview with her, Grace celebrated Fender’s launch of her Signature Ukulele and Moonlight Ukulele in an intimate event held at Gallow Green at the McKittrick Hotel in New York City. The ukuleles, which will be available on Fender’s website on Oct. 2, were crafted with both aesthetics and acoustics in mind. “I wanted these ukuleles to be pretty, but also have a great sound,” Grace said. “Fender perfectly accomplished that and made my dream ukuleles come true. I’m seeing my passions come full circle. I think everyone has music inside them and my hope is that I can help them find it.”
Later that night, Grace flew to New Mexico to begin filming Stargirl, Disney’s adaptation of the beloved young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli. Grace will also be teaming up again with writer/producer Edo for her next album. She revealed to HL that she’s already done two songs off the upcoming project, so there’s definitely a lot for her fans to look forward to!
America’s Got Talent airs Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.