Simon Cowell is not someone who cries easily, but this time, he did. After learning what Courtney Hadwin had quietly endured behind the scenes, the famously tough judge was moved to tears. Simon Cowell, in tears after what happened to Courtney Hadwin, tells the true story of a young artist whose voice once stunned the world and who is now using that same voice to survive it. From viral fame at 13 to a rocky road through the music industry, Courtney’s story is not just about talent. It is about strength.
She first burst into view on America’s Got Talent in 2018, all nerves and long sleeves until the music started. With her wild energy and a voice that channeled Janis Joplin, she became an overnight sensation. But what the world did not see was how hard it would be to grow up under the spotlight. The pressure, the isolation, and the weight of being misunderstood all took their toll. After parting ways with her label and facing a personal setback in 2025, Courtney made a choice: to stop pretending and start healing through music.
Simon Cowell in TEARS After What Happened to Courtney Hadwin
Courtney’s recent performances have been raw and honest. Her song You Only Love Me When I Lie showed a woman unafraid to reveal her pain. But it is her newest track, Monsters, that feels like a quiet cry from somewhere deeper. “I’m afraid of myself every time I see the face in the mirror,” she sings, her voice trembling but steady. The lyrics convey a sense of fear, loneliness, and battling the shadows that follow you, not just the ones outside but also the ones within.
In Monsters, Courtney does not hold back. She admits to being lost, scared, and overwhelmed, yet she sings with the same fire that first lit up the AGT stage. There is no mask now, no choreography, just truth. “Give me a torch to chase them away,” she pleads, and that line alone holds the weight of everything she has faced, from bullying as a kid to the industry’s impossible expectations.
Courtney Hadwin – Monsters (Official Music Video)
This is not Courtney, who was once labeled shy or strange. This is an artist entirely in control of her sound and her story. Her voice is still gritty and bold, but now it is layered with something else: wisdom. She is no longer chasing applause. She is reaching for peace. And somehow, even through the darkness, her music makes others feel seen.
Courtney Hadwin is no longer the girl who shocked the judges. She is the woman writing her own story, one lyric at a time. Her monsters may not be gone, but she is no longer hiding from them; she is singing straight through them. Follow Courtney Hadwin on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook; the next song might help you face your own.