Whoever said 14-year-old's aren't in tune with the classics have another thing coming. Courtney Hadwin is a contestant on season 13 of America's Got Talent and she delivered a jaw-dropping performance of James Brown's “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.” Her performance not only hit the vocals right, but her stage presence is what helped give her a standing ovation.
“People at school didn’t really get my music,” Courtney said of her singing abilities. “Some would say I sang like a boy and that I was weird when I dance. I got the feeling that I should change and listen to everybody, but then I remembered that people like Janis Joplin, they didn’t listen to anybody. And they got what they wanted in the end.”
She added: “People don’t expect me to perform the way I do. But when I hear music, I come alive. I feel electrified. I just get into the music and I start moving.”
Judge Howie Mandel only had great things to say about Courtney, explaining how she did everything just right. "I just think that sometimes people deliver, and sometimes they over-deliver, and I think Courtney over-delivered tonight," he said. "I am so proud of her. She’s not my child, but I feel like she is. She’s my golden buzzer.”
Peep her full performance below.