A 13-year-old girl from Hesleden in County Durham left judges speechless and amazed on “America’s Got Talent” last night. The shy youngster was nervous to perform in front of the judges and the huge audience, but when she got started, Courtney Hadwin got a standing ovation from the audience, a “Bloody hell!” from judge Simon Cowell and a Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel.
Courtney Hadwin blasts out Otis Redding hit ‘Hard to Handle’
As reported by the BBC, when Courtney first got on stage, she looked timid and nervous. After the “America’s Got Talent” judges comforted and reassured her, she dropped her head, obviously collecting herself. She then literally blasted out the 1968 Otis Redding number “Hard to Handle.”
Her performance was amazing, leaving judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Mel B and Heidi Klum with dropped jaws. Judges and audience members alike took to their feet to give Hadwin a standing ovation as she dropped to her knees on stage.
Standing ovation on 'America's Got Talent' for British girl
Chronicle Live called it a “show-stopping performance.” While a standing ovation was quite enough for the young girl, her experience was crowned by receiving the famous Golden Buzzer from Mandel. Obviously comparing her style to that of the 60s, Mandel went on to compare Courtney to rocker Janis Joplin, telling her she is from a “whole different era.” Mandel added that he couldn’t sign her to a record deal, but he could give her the Golden Buzzer.
Cowell was completely in shock, saying “Bloody hell, Courtney.” He continued by saying she was a “shy little thing,” but that he had never seen anything like it which is quite the statement for Simon.
He said she was “like a lion.” Tyra Banks was also shocked, telling Courtney she was “absolutely amazing.” Courtney’s father had been standing in the wings and rushed over to hug her as she broke into tears on stage. All the young girl could say to judges and audience was, “Thank you so much.”
Courtney heads to Twitter after her audition
Once the excitement was all over, Courtney tweeted that she didn’t know what to expect during the audition, but that the “America’s Got Talent” Golden Buzzer was more than she could ever have dreamed of. She personally addressed Howie Mandel in her tweet to thank him, saying she was so happy she can’t thank him enough.
Hadwin previously appeared on “The Voice Kids UK,” but now the 13-year-old will be fast-tracked to appear in the quarterfinals of “America’s Got Talent” with the chance to win an amazing $1 million prize. See what all the excitement was about in the YouTube video of “America’s Got Talent” included below.