Grace Vanderwaal Talks to Scott Lipps About Her ‘Wild’ Ride Since ‘America’s Got Talent’

This week on SPIN Presents Lipps Service, host Scott Lipps caught up with pop sensation Grace Vanderwaal, after attending her epic New York City show marking the release of her new single, “Lion’s Den.”

Most people know Vanderwaal from winning America’s Got Talent at age 12. Her ukulele performance won over judge Simon Cowell, who called her “the next Taylor Swift.” As Vanderwaal tells Lipps, Cowell’s decree was both a blessing and a curse for the budding singer-songwriter. “It was a feeling I’ve never felt again in my entire life,” Vanderwaal said of the life-changing moment she barely remembers (“I was 12!”).

In a lengthy conversation, Vanderwaal spoke candidly about those early years: listening to her parents’ eclectic music picks (her dad loved Jack Johnson while her mom was spinning Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream CD), learning to play ukulele via YouTube tutorials, and uploading her first-ever cover (“Frosty the Snowman,” naturally), to dealing with the onslaught of literal overnight fame. Later, Vanderwaal spoke about her current creative process, staying up to the wee hours writing songs, and her love of jazz music.

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On the last episode, Lipps spoke with viral crossover R&B-soul singer Teddy Swims, who talked about how growing up in Georgia and how listening to Al Green inspired him to embark on a career in soul music. Swims also talked about deviating into the world of hair: Swims went to beauty school and also played in hair metal cover bands. Now, he’s got upwards of 440 million views on YouTube and millions of followers.

Since it began in 2018, the acclaimed podcast has featured many of the biggest voices and personalities in music, including exclusive interviews with Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis, David Lee Roth, Shepard Fairey, Courtney Love, Dove Cameron, Mick Fleetwood, Nikki Sixx, Perry Farrell and many, many more.

Every couple of weeks, a new episode of SPIN Presents Lipps Service is available wherever you consume podcasts (Apple, etc.) Listen below to the full episode with Grace Vanderwaal.