{"id":1263,"date":"2025-02-04T20:17:40","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T20:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/story15.com\/?p=1263"},"modified":"2025-02-04T20:17:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T20:17:40","slug":"how-13-year-old-courtney-hadwin-blew-agt-judges-away-with-her-steven-tyler-worthy-rock-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/story15.com\/?p=1263","title":{"rendered":"How 13-Year-Old Courtney Hadwin Blew AGT Judges Away with Her Steven Tyler-Worthy Rock Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are times when viewers literally can\u2019t believe what they\u2019re seeing or hearing on\u00a0America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em>, and today, we\u2019re turning back the clock to one of the most jaw-dropping surprises of all time!<\/p>\n

When 13-year-old Courtney Hadwin walked onto the\u00a0AGT<\/em>\u00a0stage in Season 13, viewers could feel her trepidation. Not everyone can handle the bright lights of the competition, and Hadwin seemed shy and nervous as she stood quietly.<\/p>\n

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After uncomfortably answering questions from the Judges, viewers prepared themselves for an awkward performance. After all, it\u2019s not uncommon for the pressure to get the best of people. But what happened next was nothing short of amazing.<\/p>\n

Howie Mandel\u00a0had \u201cno words to describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s like a switch just turned over,\u201d said\u00a0Heidi Klum.<\/p>\n

As Hadwin immediately launched into a high-octane version of Otis Redding\u2019s iconic \u201cHard to Handle\u201d with the stage presence and confidence of a rock star, the crowd leapt to their feet, and the Judges\u2019 jaws hit the floor.<\/p>\n

Hadwin\u2019s performance was\u00a0everything\u00a0AGT<\/em>\u00a0symbolizes. The allegedly bashful teenager sang with the bravado of\u00a0Steven Tyler, including a stunning run that showed off her upper register, garnering a \u201cWhoa!\u201d from Mandel. It was awe-inspiring!<\/p>\n

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If you have what it takes to appear on\u00a0America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em>, sign up for Season 20 auditions today at\u00a0agtauditions.com. For details on how the process works \u2014 with guidance from\u00a0AGT\u00a0<\/em>winners \u2014\u00a0check out NBC Insider\u2019s ultimate audition guide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Her shocking (in the best way) version of \u201cHard to Handle\u201d earned her a Golden Buzzer as she cemented her place in the\u00a0AGT\u00a0<\/em>history books.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are not from this era, you\u2019re from a whole different era,\u201d an exasperated Mandel told her before telling a story about how Janis Joplin was signed to a record deal out of nowhere when she was \u201cdiscovered.\u201d Of course, he couldn\u2019t sign Hadwin to a record deal, but he\u00a0could<\/em>\u00a0give her a Golden Buzzer\u00a0\u2014 which he did, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.<\/p>\n

It was one of the most memorable moments in\u00a0AGT\u00a0<\/em>history and another reminder that we should never ever\u00a0Judge a book by its cover.<\/p>\n

Simon Cowell\u00a0put it best: \u201cThat was an audition I will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Courtney Hadwin: \u201cThe stage is the place where I feel most myself\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Courtney Hadwin on America\u2019s Got Talent Season 13 Episode 3.\u00a0<\/span>Photo: Ron Batzdorff\/NBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As it turns out, performing on stage brings out the best in Hadwin, and it\u2019s a transformation for which all of us should be thankful.<\/p>\n

In a 2018 interview with\u00a0Forbes<\/em>, Hadwin spoke about her unbelievable run on the show, which ultimately ended with her coming up short in the Finals. In addition to calling her experience \u201camazing and so unforgettable,\u201d she let fans know that the person on that stage was authentically her!<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just me and it was great that\u00a0AGT<\/em>\u00a0let me be me on stage,\u201d Hadwin explained. \u201cI think the stage is the place where I feel most comfortable and most myself.\u201d<\/p>\n