Watch Grace VanderWaal on Almost Meeting Katy Perry, Finishing ‘Stranger Things’
Grace VanderWaal spoke with Rolling Stone about her new EP, winning America’s Got Talent and almost meeting Katy Perry during an interview for Facebook Live. The Q&A took place backstage at Cyndi Lauper’s Home for the Holidays benefit show in New York City where the teenage singer-songwriter performed.
An excited VanderWaal recounted the thrilling weeks following her big win on America’s Got Talent, which have included the release of her debut EP Perfectly Imperfect and an appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where she met Fitz from Fitz and the Tantrums and “Hide Away” singer Daya. The 12-year-old has already begun plotting the release of her debut album, which she is hoping to get started on soon. “Gotta start now,” she said. “You just finished a project, and closing a project opens a new one.”
As for her heroes, VanderWaal cited Meghan Trainor and Katy Perry, the latter of whom she came close to meeting. “She was going to China, and it got too late and she couldn’t do it,” she solemnly recalled of their previously planned hang out at a Los Angeles beach. Later, VanderWaal spoke about her new pug named Frankenstein, the stories behind some of her songs and how she’s been trying to finish watching Stranger Things.
VanderWaal follows artists like Shawn Mendes and Icona Pop who have sat down with Rolling Stone recently for Facebook Live interviews. Find all of the videos on the Rolling Stone Video Facebook page. Make sure to follow Twitter and Facebook for notifications of Rolling Stone‘s exclusive live sessions, where users ask the questions in real-time.