Amerca's Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal.Ashley Buenrostro photo
Today's uke is represented by one Grace VanderWaal, a precocious preteen who dazzled the voting panel of NBC's America's Got Talent to win the reality-show contest for 2016.
The adorable ukuleleist's path to victory was no tiptoe through the tulips. To sway the judges – Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Mel B – the 12-year-old pride of Suffern, N.Y., took the risk of performing an original song, I Don't Know My Name. Upon completion of the up-swelling ditty, comedian Mandel was overwhelmed and emphatic as he slapped the golden buzzer. "I think the world is going to know your name," he declared.
Confetti fluttered, a crowd applauded and a small star was born. And not only does the uke-strumming singer have pluck, she's got a record deal. VanderWaal's debut EP Perfectly Imperfect was released earlier this month on Columbia Records. On Dec. 19, at 8 p.m., the Cowell-endorsed cutie appears on NBC's America's Got Talent: Holiday Spectacular.
Brad Wheeler