13-Year-Old Girl Channels Janis Joplin, Gets Golden Buzzer On 'America’s Got Talent’

A young aspiring singer is going viral for her unbelievable performance on the latest episode of America's Got Talent on NBC.

Courtney Hadwin, a 13-year-old singer, appeared sweet and shy in front of the judges, but as soon as the music started playing, she became a confident rock star.

'America's Got Talent' Contestant Rocks Janis Joplin Track

Nobody thought that Hadwin has such a powerful voice when she appeared onstage for the first time on Tuesday, June 12. Wearing a white floral dress and black tights, the aspiring star admitted to the show's judge, Mel B, that she felt "a little bit nervous" facing the panel and the thousands of viewers watching the show across the United States. The former member of the Spice Girls even commented that she is very sweet.

However, the female contestant immediately transformed onstage when she started singing "Hard to Handle," originally by Otis Redding. She has the charisma and stage presence of a singer who has been performing onstage for a really long time now.

Her voice, even Janis Joplin would have agreed, can rival the 60s rock icon. Also, Tyra Banks, who hosts the show, was floored by the transformation.

"When you sing, you're like a lion," Simon Cowell, who is notoriously hard to impress, commented. "Incredible!"

"You are not from this era," Howie Mandel said. "You're from a whole different era!"

The actor-comedian recounted the time Clive Davis, a record producer, discovered Joplin at the Monterey Pop Festival back in the day and compared it to watching Hadwin perform on the show. The judges all agreed to send her directly to the live rounds of the competition with a Golden Buzzer.

The young singer, on her Twitter account, commented about her now-viral performance on the reality television series.

"I didn't know what to expect when I auditioned for AGT but the golden buzzer was more than I ever could have dreamed of," she wrote. "Thank you so much @howiemandel I am so happy and can't thank you enough xx."

Entertainment Tonight reports that Hadwin previously competed on The Voice Kids UK where she made it into the final round. She now has another chance to win and prove that she has what it takes to be a star on this season of America's Got Talent.

Courtney Hadwin Stuns On 'America's Got Talent'

Hadwin's performance, which was also uploaded to YouTube, has garnered over 6 million views as of this writing. She has not won the competition, but she already has garnered a huge following online. On Twitter, the young singer is gaining praises from left to right. Kechi Okwuchi, who was a finalist on the show last year, was impressed by the aspiring singer's performance.

Other Twitter users were equally as surprised and in awe of Hadwin's onstage presence.

America's Got Talent airs on NBC every Tuesday. Watch Hadwin's performance below.

Tags

America's Got Talent, Janis Joplin