“I’m doing my own song tonight because I really think it shows who I am,” said Grace, who was 12 years old at the time and was born in Kansas but resided in New York. “I hope. “I hope it does.”

Grace was dubbed “the next Taylor Swift” after her remarkable performance. It also set her on a prosperous, confetti-laden path. In Season 11, she won $1 million on AGT.

Grace VanderWaal’s first AGT audition

“Miracles can happen, so possibly,” Grace told Judge Simon Cowell when he asked if she thought she might win.

When Simon asked about the song she’d be performing, she replied, “It’s about me.” She then went on to say that most of her school friends “don’t really know I sing.”

Her friends and everyone watching AGT were the first to notice her unique voice and emotive songwriting style.

Grace, accompanied by ukulele, wowed from the start with “I Don’t Know My Name,” a frank, heartfelt song about discovering your identity.

“I don’t remember my name. “I don’t follow the rules of the game,” Grace sang. “So you say I’m just trying, just trying.”

What did the judges say?

As the ovation died down and the standing audience resumed their seats, Grace prepared to hear out what the four judges thought of her audition.

Howie Mandel was eager to express his opinions.

“This is a show about surprises,” he said. “You used the word miracle, and I think you are a living, beautiful, walking miracle.”

“You’re original,” Howie continued, as he alluded to the lyrics of her song. “People not knowing your name is so right and so wrong, because I think the world is going to know your name. I think right now they’re going to know your name.”

He then hit the Golden Buzzer, sending Grace straight to live performances. Howie hurried over to give Grace a hug as she broke down in happy emotions. “You are amazing,” he told her.

Simon shared that Grace’s talent for finding songwriting inspiration in her own life reminded him of a pop superstar. “Grace, you know what I predict for you,” he said. “I think you are the next Taylor Swift.”

“What a great girl. What a great personality,” Simon said to his fellow judges.

“Wow,” said Heidi Klum. “That is a big wow.”

“She is special,” said Mel B.

“Do you think you’ve got a star now?” Howie asked Simon.

“I 100 percent think we’ve got a star,” said Simon, who added that he was “annoyed” that he didn’t get to press the Golden Buzzer.

Grace began her acting career in Stargirl and has since recorded CDs after gaining notoriety on America’s Got Talent. In Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, she portrays a pop star.