Grace VanderWaal is no longer a ‘Childstar’

No matter what, your words belong to you. Grace VanderWaal forever treasures her connection to words. As a kid, she always held them close, clung tightly, and never let go. As a woman now, she finds the ultimate freedom in those words, speaking her mind, heart, and soul without filter through her songs. The singer, songwriter, actress, and phenomenon amplifies the sound of healing scars, shedding skin, and stepping into her power on her 2025 full-length LP, Childstar.

Speaking of, she took the reins of her destiny in 2024. Audiences initially got to know Grace at just 12-years-old when she parlayed winning America’s Got Talent into her rapid rise as an international artist. Between releasing music, she notably toured with everyone from Florence + the Machine to Imagine Dragons. Among many accolades, she earned a Teen Choice Award in addition to receiving the Billboard “Women in Music” Rising Star Award and becoming “the youngest person ever” to be featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 music list. Not to mention, she starred as the title character in the Disney+ film series Stargirl and later in the acclaimed Megapolis from legendary Academy® Award-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

However, she found herself at a crossroads during 2024. Independent once again, she dove into creating what would become Childstar, following her internal creative compass.

 “I felt this intuitive voice from inside telling me I should make a proper conceptual album,” she recalls. “I believe in myself artistically and wanted to finally fulfill my potential. So, I just started writing from the heart. Naturally, Childstar unveiled itself to me.”