‘America’s Got Talent’ Rocker Courtney Hadwin Signs Record Deal
“America’s Got Talent” rocker Courtney Hadwin has signed a deal with Arista Record in partnership with Simon Cowell’s Syco Music, the label announced today.
“It feels amazing to be joining Syco and I am super excited and feel so lucky,” said the native of Hartlepool in Northern England. “I’ve always wanted to work on original songs and to be able to do that with the support of Syco while staying true to myself and the music I like is a dream come true. I can’t thank them enough for giving me this chance.”
The 14-year old vocalist, who finished sixth in the competition and is set to compete on “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” on NBC this January, is currently in the studio working on new music due to be released in 2019. Hadwin will join a who’s who of talent discovered by AGT judge Simon Cowell, who also helped catapult former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello, former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson, AGT Season 11 winner Grace Vanderwaal, James Arthur, CNCO, Labrinth and more, to successful post-show careers.
“Courtney is an amazing artist,” said Cowell in a statement. “I will never forget her first audition on the show this year, and now we have the opportunity to work with her alongside Arista — it’s fantastic. We are all really excited about her future.“
David Massey, pesident of Arista, a Sony Music label, described Hadwin as “an exceptional talent with a voice and spirit well beyond her years. You can expect the unexpected with Courtney, and the entire Arista team looks forward to championing this next phase of her career alongside Syco Entertainment.”
Hadwin wowed audiences week after week beginning with the moment Howie Mandel gifted her with a Golden Buzzer just after her full-throated audition of “Hard to Handle.” Mandel immediately compared her to the late Janis Joplin. That audition was watched by more than 11 million TV viewers, and within a week it had been viewed more than 130 million times online. It now has over 250 million views.
Cowell was enthralled, exclaiming “Bloody, Hell!” shortly after Hadwin dropped to her knees. “You are like a lion.”
Hadwin, who made the finals on the ITV program “The Voice Kids,” lived up to the Joplin comparison with performances of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,” Tina Turner’s “River Deep Mountain High,” and the high watermark of sharing the stage with The Struts for their hit, “Could Have Been Me,” followed by a chaser of Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart.”
“Courtney is a force of nature,” said Tyler Brown, Managing Director of Syco Music. “When she hits the stage there is no one like her in the world. A unique and exciting talent. We can’t wait to hear the music she’s going to create over the coming years.”
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