Courtney Hadwin

Uncover Music presents

Courtney Hadwin

Courtney Hadwin is one of those rare voices that make you stop in your tracks. In 2025, the Durham-born singer-songwriter is unveiling her long-awaited debut album, showcasing her once-in-a-generation talent for all to hear. Many will know Hadwin from her unforgettable audition on *America’s Got Talent* in 2018, one of the most-viewed in the show's history. At just 13 years old, she stood visibly nervous before the judges and a huge live audience, only to blow everyone away with a fearless rendition of Otis Redding’s *Hard to Handle*. Judge Howie Mandel, a huge Janis Joplin fan, hit the Golden Buzzer after telling her how her glass-shattering voice reminded him of the legendary rock artist.  

Six years later, Hadwin has faced ups and downs, channeling those experiences into a phenomenal debut album. Written and produced with Grammy-winning songwriter Kevin Bowe in his hometown of Minneapolis, each track bursts with her irrepressible spirit. “They’re coming-of-age songs, written either when I was going through the worst times or when I felt on top of the world,” Hadwin explains. “I’m both nervous and excited to release them because this is the most personal I’ve ever been in my songwriting. It’s the story so far.”  

Single *Spellbound* is a punchy punk-rock anthem packed with snarling guitar riffs and jangling percussion. “Me and Kevin had a couple of extra days left after recording a bunch of songs, so we decided to use the time and ended up with this,” Hadwin grins. “Before I left for America, I’d been completely obsessed with someone, and *Spellbound* just kind of popped out.” She howls and hollers, perfectly capturing the messiness of a teenage crush with a tongue-in-cheek bridge and an anthemic, singalong chorus: “I’m spellbound baby and I can’t say no, follow you to hell if it’s where you wanna go.”  

From a young age, Hadwin demonstrated an understanding of music beyond her years. Her father, Paul Hadwin, whom she fondly calls her biggest supporter, remembers his then-three-year-old daughter belting out Aerosmith’s *Crazy* around the house, driving the family—well, crazy. At nine, she realized she wanted to be a musician and pursued it relentlessly. “I was the kid in school who didn’t go to parties or out on weekends,” she shrugs. “I’d be at home, focusing on music—it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” She took up musical theatre while studying legends on YouTube, from Janis Joplin to Tina Turner. “I’d sit there for hours, listening to artists I’d never heard before, then try to learn the songs and how to sing and dance like them.” It wasn’t just their voices that captivated her—these were entertainers, whose charisma and magnetism were just as compelling as their music.  

This passion led Hadwin to audition for *America’s Got Talent* after making it to the finals of *The Voice Kids UK*. “I wouldn’t take it back, but it was a very young age to be put in the spotlight,” she reflects. “I was scared everyone would hate me and that it would be one of those joke auditions.” When she walked onto the stage, facing Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Mandel, she was shaking. But then she sang in that jaw-dropping, freewheeling manner, and everything changed.  

Hadwin spent six months in America, doing constant TV appearances. “I didn’t really like it, but I agreed to do *AGT Champions* as long as I could perform an original song.” She signed a record deal only to find that executives didn’t know what to do with her. “I spent weeks in writing sessions where they tried to find my ‘sound,’ but it was always with pop songwriters, which I knew was wrong.” Just as she started to find songs that suited her, the label shut down, leaving her out in the cold weeks before her 16th birthday.  

“It really opened my eyes to the realities of the music industry and who to trust,” she says. It took time to recover from what felt like a major setback. “When something like that happens, you start doubting yourself, like it was your fault,” she admits. “But it also made me work harder, like I had to prove myself.” She met Bowe, and after writing sessions over video calls, she finally felt understood. One of their songs, *You Only Love Me When I Lie*, is a soulful blues number channeling the spirit of Aretha Franklin and Martha Reeves. Over a spooky Hammond organ and rippling guitar, Hadwin delivers a raw, emotionally charged vocal: “Sick and tired of keeping all my thoughts to myself, ‘cause I never get a chance to heal. If you can’t stand my crazy, I’ll get somebody else so I can feel the way I feel.”  

Hadwin’s artistic dexterity shines on *DNA*, a sizzling funk-rock track with squelchy synth beats and irresistible hooks. Like Joplin before her, she creates the illusion of vocal abandon, pouring intensity into her performance. Her fearless delivery sets her apart in an age where voices are polished into auto-tuned perfection.  

*Die and Stay Pretty* could have been a sweet ballad, but Hadwin infuses it with raw emotion, channeling both love and anguish: “Acting like you’re in the Velvet Underground, you look so good when you’re going down.” “This one is completely different from every other song on the record,” she notes. “I’d been feeling down, watching someone I cared about screw up their life, which affected me too. I called Kevin, and he just said, ‘Let’s write a song about it.’”  

So early in her career, Hadwin is already writing deeply personal and relatable songs. *All the Love Money Can Buy* is a spectacular kiss-off backed by gospel-style vocals and jubilant brass. At just 20 years old, she has proven herself as a dynamic artist, fearless in both her songwriting and vocal delivery. It’s clear that Hadwin isn’t just another rising star—she’s an artist with an unmistakable voice and a story worth telling.