Long before golden buzzers and viral fame, a 12-year-old Courtney Hadwin stepped onto a school stage in her now-iconic dress and unleashed a voice that would soon shake the world. This unearthed 2016 talent show footage reveals the raw moment when a shy English girl first transformed into the soul-shouting phenomenon we know today.
Filmed at Ainsty’s Got Talent, Courtney’s rendition of “Who’s Lovin’ You” shows her signature rasp in its purest form. No fancy production, just a school mic and that unforgettable floral dress. Yet every note crackles with the same volcanic energy that would later stun AGT judges; proof her talent was always larger than any stage.
Courtney Hadwin’s 2016 School Talent Show Performance
Comments like “That dress should be in a museum!” and “How is this voice coming from a child?!” flood the video. Fans are stunned by her pre-AGT confidence, with many noting she sang “like someone who’s lived 100 lifetimes.” The dress became so legendary, one commenter jokes: “I’d pay $10,000 for it!”
Two years after this performance, that same dress would walk onto the AGT stage but the voice? Even bigger. A side-by-side comparison shows how Courtney’s school talent show swagger evolved into full-blown rock god theatrics.
Courtney Hadwin: 13-Year-Old Golden Buzzer Winning Performance – America’s Got Talent 2019
While her 2016 performance was all raw soul, by AGT she’d honed her explosive stage presence. Yet the core remained unchanged: that dress, those growls, the way she channels vintage Motown through her gangly teen frame. As Simon Cowell put it: “You don’t sing songs; you explode them.”
In an era of overproduced child stars, Courtney’s talent show tape is refreshingly real. No autotune, no choreography; just pure, unfiltered talent. As one fan perfectly summarized: “Most artists hope for a ‘before they were famous’ moment this good. Courtney was born legendary.”