There are some voices that genuinely make you stop in your tracks – Courtney Hadwin is one of them. In 2025, the Durham-born singer-songwriter is unveiling her long-awaited debut album, which will showcase her once-in-a-generation talent for all to hear.

Many will already know of Hadwin thanks to her famed audition on America’s Got Talent in 2018. In what rapidly became one of the most-viewed auditions in the show’s history, the 13-year-old Hadwin – visibly nervous as she stood in front of the judges and a huge live audience – blew everyone away with a fearless rendition of Otis Redding’s 1968 classic “Hard to Handle”. A huge Janis Joplin fan, judge Howie Mandel leapt for the Golden Buzzer after telling her how Hadwin’s glass-shattering voice reminded him of the legendary rock artist.

Six years later, Hadwin has endured plenty of ups and downs. Yet these trials have been poured into the record – songs of experience – making for a phenomenal, and confident, debut. Written and produced with Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Kevin Bowe (Etta James, Joe Cocker) in his hometown of Minneapolis, each track fizzes with her irrepressible spirit. “They’re coming-of-age songs, written either when I was going through the worst of times or when I felt on top of the world,” Hadwin explains. “I’m both nervous and excited to be putting them out into the world, as this is the most personal I’ve ever been in my songwriting. It’s the story so far.”