There are some voices that genuinely make you stop in your tracks – and Courtney Hadwin is one of them. Seven years after her unforgettable ‘America’s Got Talent’ audition in which she blew away the judges with her take on ‘Hard To Handle’, now 20-year-old Courtney announces she will release her long-awaited debut album later this year. She previewed the album in February by sharing its first single, the pop-punk anthem ‘Spellbound’ and has now released its official video. Watch it HERE.
John Hayhurst caught up with Courtney to find out whats been happening in her life since that audition and what the future holds.
- It’s been seven years since your unforgettable AGT audition—how do you think you’ve grown as an artist since then?
I think when your that age and introduced to the music world, it’s very big and scary and you kinda let the people in the suits tell you what to do and how to do it. I feel I’ve finally got to the stage where I trust my judgement, and don’t let people walk all over me. I know who I am as an artist, and I know why I love music, and why I want to create it!
- Your debut album has been a long time coming—what can fans expect from it in terms of sound and themes?
I am so proud of this album! I didn’t want to create an album where every song sounds the same and I feel A LOT of albums out there are like that. You have the first few singles that have their thing, their unique point, and then every other song is just an album filler. I could positively say every single one of my songs from the album were options for singles: every song has its own sound and meaning. I’ve been writing this album for a few years now, and I’ve grown up with this album writing and recording.
- Spellbound has a raw, punk-rock energy. What inspired the song, and how did it come together in the studio?
Spellbound wasn’t actually supposed to be a part of my first album. I flew to Minneapolis thinking we had our album, we had our singles and then at the end of our trip we had 2-3 days left, so we said let’s write some stuff! Then there came “Spellbound”. Back home I was kinda going through a situationship, it wasn’t healthy and was quite toxic. I was really ignoring the red flags because I was that smitten over them, and that definitely became the meaning of the song.
- You worked with Grammy-winning producer Kevin Bowe (Etta James, Joe Cocker) on this project—what was that experience like, and how did he help shape your sound?
Kevin Bowe is just amazing! We met through musical friends and we wrote a few things together and the friendship kind of just grew with the music. He totally gets me and wants me to create the music I want to create! It just works !!!
- The Spellbound music video was filmed in France—what was that experience like, and how did you bring your vision to life?
The team for the spellbound music video were just amazing. They totally got the vision and just brought it to life.
- You’ve been compared to legends like Janis Joplin and James Brown—how do you feel about those comparisons, and do they influence your music?
I love the comparisons. These legends were how I found who I am. If I didn’t find James Brown on YouTube I’d have no clue what I would be doing right now in music or not in music, because this kind of music was like opening another door into my crazy life.
- You took a step back from the industry to find your own sound—what was that journey like, and how did it shape your music today?
I went through a stage of everyone around me telling me what I should sound like and who I should be! I was working with writers who just didn’t get why I loved music, and we were creating music that I couldn’t relate to at all. l was so lucky to have been introduced to Kevin Bowe, as he also pushed me more forward, to be more myself and stand up for who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to be portrayed as in my music.
- You mentioned Spellbound was inspired by a messy teenage crush—do personal experiences often play a big role in your songwriting?
All of my songwriting comes through personal experience! I feel so vulnerable putting this album out as it’s the most personal I’ve ever been with songwriting! When I was 14 getting put into writing sessions, being told what to write about, and all I was able to say was “oh I love my dog” – It’s just not great. I needed to grow up and live my life, and experience things to be able to write the songs I now have.
- With more new music on the way, what’s next for you, and what do you hope to achieve with this album?
I don’t really have any expectations with this album, I’m just so excited to be able to share it with the world after that many years of creating this project! I can’t wait to start touring and performing these songs and sharing the emotions with people who can relate.
