Watch 13-Year-old Courtney Hadwin Sing Like Janis Joplin

Between the American and British version of the Got Talent franchise, there have been plenty of instances of hilarious misdirection by seasoned performers. 

We remember Jenny Darren's sweet old lady act before she stripped into a leather ensemble and performed AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" a few months ago. But it's a little harder to tell whether 13-year-old phenom Courtney Hadwin was pretending to be shy or was genuinely nervous when she took the stage for her recent audition. 

Hadwin gave only one-word answers to the judges before winding up a goofy dance when the music started. The judges looked more than a little dubious as the first chords of "Hard to Handle" rang out, but Hadwin proved she was no mere novelty when she started singing. 

"You were like this shy little thing when you first came out," said Simon Cowell. "And then you sing and you're like a lion. I mean genuinely incredible."

The performance was so stirring and unique that Howie Mandel compared Hadwin's soulful performance to the great Janis Joplin, giving her the coveted golden buzzer, automatically advancing her to the next round.  

"Hard to Handle" was a hit for the Black Crowes in 1990, though it was originally written by Otis Redding, Al Bell and Allen Jones in 1968.

Watch the amazing footage in the video above!   

Good luck in the next round, Courtney!


Photo: Getty Images


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