Courtney Hadwin, the British teen who shook the world with her electrifying America’s Got Talent audition in 2018, has revealed that her journey after the show wasn’t all applause and standing ovations. Despite global fame and praise from icons like Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel, Courtney says she endured years of bullying — both at school and online.
The “shy rocker girl” from Hesleden, a small village in northeast England, rose to fame overnight when she performed Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” during AGT’s Season 13 auditions. Her raw, Janis Joplin-style energy earned her Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer and millions of online views. Yet, behind the success, Courtney was struggling with something much harder than a live audience — the cruelty of peers who didn’t understand her talent.
“People laugh at you,” she told The Sun. “They’re not used to people singing like me. I get called names. They say I sing like a boy.”
The teasing began in school and spread online as her fame grew. While fans compared her to legends like Janis Joplin, others were less kind, questioning her style and authenticity. “Online, people were quite cruel,” her grandfather Tom Storey recalled. “They said she was not a singer but a shouter.”
Courtney’s mother admitted that the criticism was tough to watch. “It made me scared of the spotlight,” she said. “But it’s not my life — it’s hers. If she’s brave enough to ignore it, how can I not be?”
Her father added perspective: “All big singers get haters. Look at Ed Sheeran — he had to delete his Twitter because of the negativity. That’s the world now.”
Long before AGT, Courtney had already been working hard toward her dream. Inspired by Britain’s Got Talent alum Connie Talbot, she began busking on the streets to fund her singing lessons. “The busking has been paying for her lessons and petrol,” her grandfather said proudly. Locals adored her, though some buskers complained she was drawing too much attention.
At just 11 years old, Courtney performed “Say Something” by A Great Big World at school, a moment that went viral and earned her schoolwide recognition. Soon after, she wowed audiences at TeenStar UK and Open Mic UK, performing songs like “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Despite her talent, she remained quiet and reserved. “She is very shy and finds it hard being in crowds,” said Dawn McManus of the Red Dreams charity. “But give her a microphone, and she transforms.”
When asked why she chose America’s Got Talent over Britain’s Got Talent, Courtney’s answer was simple: “The U.K. didn’t get me. We knew America would.”
The risk paid off — her AGT run made her an international name. But fame also brought harsh online criticism, especially when viewers discovered she had competed on The Voice Kids UK years earlier. Some accused the show of misrepresenting her as a “newcomer,” prompting unfair backlash.
Still, Courtney persevered. She went on to release original music like “Pretty Little Thing” and signed a record deal, all while staying grounded in her roots. “I’d miss home,” she said, “but if I moved to the U.S., I’d bring my family with me. I couldn’t survive without them.”
Simon Cowell once called her energy “like a lion,” while Howie Mandel compared watching her to “seeing The Beatles for the first time.”
Now older and more confident, Courtney Hadwin is still the same authentic artist who stunned the world — only stronger. For every cruel comment she’s faced, she’s answered with a song.
And for those who doubted her? She has just one quiet message: watch me now.