When Courtney Hadwin first stepped onto the America’s Got Talent stage at just 13 years old, few could have imagined how much she would change both as an artist and as a young woman.
Now 21, the once-shy teenager who blew the judges away with her explosive version of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” is setting the internet ablaze again — this time, not with her voice, but with a simple mirror selfie.
In the photo, Hadwin shows off her fit figure and effortless confidence, leaving many fans stunned by her transformation. “You’ve come so far,” one fan commented. “Once a shy young lady, now an amazing, beautiful, powerful woman.”
But behind that confidence is a story of resilience. More than eight years after her viral audition, Hadwin admits she’s still working to move beyond the image of “that girl from AGT.” “It’s been hard, I’m not gonna lie,” she told Best Fit. “I’m always so grateful for the opportunity that show gave me. But it’s one of those things where I constantly feel like I have to prove I’m not just the girl from that TV show.”
After signing her first record deal as a young teen, Hadwin struggled to find her place in the industry. “I was thrown into the deep end,” she said. “I was put into writing camps with producers who didn’t understand my sound. It was all pure pop — which just wasn’t me.” When her label folded before her 16th birthday, Hadwin was left at a crossroads.
Things changed when she met producer Kevin Bowe, known for his work with legends like Etta James and Joe Cocker. “He really got me,” she explained. Together, they began crafting her debut album Little Miss Jagged, which drops September 15. “I’ve never written this personally before,” she said. “It’s like a diary of the last few years of my life.”
The album reflects Hadwin’s journey from being molded by others to taking full creative control. “Jagged — rough around the edges, not perfect,” she said of the title. “That’s always been me.”
One standout track, “You Only Love Me When I Lie,” captures her frustration with people who refuse to see her as anything but the 13-year-old girl from AGT. “Even now, I’ll post something online, and people still think I’m that innocent little girl,” she said. “That song probably has the rawest version of me in it.”
Now, with her bold new look, growing fanbase, and a deeply personal record on the way, Hadwin is finally stepping into her own spotlight — on her terms.
From a nervous teen covering soul classics to a confident young woman commanding her own narrative, Courtney Hadwin’s latest photo isn’t just a viral moment — it’s proof that she’s rewriting her story, one fearless step at a time.
