With a voice that’s stopped audiences in their tracks since she first stepped on stage, Courtney Hadwin is no stranger to jaw-dropping performances. But in her newest single, “Die and Stay Pretty,” the 20-year-old singer-songwriter offers something deeper than vocal power — she delivers raw truth.
Released ahead of her long-awaited debut album, the song has sent the internet into a frenzy for its emotionally charged lyrics and haunting sound. Blending grit with grace, Hadwin’s voice channels both love and heartbreak, marking what she calls her most honest songwriting to date.
Listen to her new song below
Accompanied by a sparse, atmospheric arrangement, “Die and Stay Pretty” could have leaned into softness — but Hadwin leans into pain instead. “Acting like you’re in the Velvet Underground, you look so good when you’re going down,” she sings, with a vocal edge that’s equal parts defiance and sadness.
“This one is completely different from every other song on the record,” Hadwin explains. “I’d been feeling down, watching someone I cared about screw up their life, which affected me too. I called Kevin [Bowe], and he just said, ‘Let’s write a song about it.’”
From AGT prodigy to fearless artist
Many still remember Hadwin as the 13-year-old powerhouse on America’s Got Talent, who stunned the judges with a bold, bluesy rendition of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” Howie Mandel slammed the Golden Buzzer and compared her to Janis Joplin — and for good reason.
But Hadwin’s path since then has been far from simple.
After her viral success, she was thrust into the spotlight, signed to a label, and pushed through pop-writing sessions that never quite fit. Eventually, that label shut down — just weeks before her 16th birthday. The experience left her shaken, but not broken. “It made me work harder,” she says. “Like I had to prove myself.”
Now working with Grammy-winning songwriter Kevin Bowe in Minneapolis, Hadwin has found her footing — and her voice. Her upcoming debut album is filled with songs that reflect the highs and lows of growing up, delivered with the intensity of someone who’s lived every line.
“Music has always been how I communicate,” she says. “But Die and Stay Pretty was the first time I was honest with myself and opened up fully.”
A voice that never played by the rules
Before she stunned TV audiences, Hadwin had already honed her craft through musical theatre and long hours studying the greats on YouTube — from Tina Turner and Janis Joplin to Aretha Franklin and Martha Reeves. Her vocals are untamed and passionate, favoring raw delivery over polished perfection.
That fearless energy runs through other tracks on her debut album, like the fiery punk-rock single Spellbound and the funk-infused DNA. But Die and Stay Pretty stands out for its emotional depth. It’s a quiet thunder — the kind of song that leaves you thinking long after it ends.
