No-one has a story quite like Courtney Hadwin. Back when she was just 13-years-old, her jaw-dropping Janis Joplin-esque audition on ‘America’s Got Talent’ went internationally viral leading to the music industry trying to mould her as a conventional pop star. But Courtney instead focused on making music that reflected her passions, all permeated with personal coming-of-age stories as she moved into adulthood. And a growing fanbase believes in her abilities too, as evidenced by 3.7 million followers across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. That journey now reaches a new highlight as she today unveils her long-awaited debut album ‘Little Miss Jagged’. Listen HERE.
As we’ve heard from its previous singles ‘Little Miss Jagged’ is a record in which Courtney dismisses easy genre categorisation. It’s a record which veers between sounds, from bouncy pop-punk to epic balladeering, taking in frenetic funk, Motown with a modernist pop twist, old school R&B and a whole lot more. It is united by its creator’s phenomenal vocal class, a gold-plated voice which soars, struts and emotes in equal measure. And vitally for an artist whose journey has been defined by wanting to do things on her own terms, its stories all come from personal experience.
Courtney says, “They’re coming-of-age songs, written either when I was going through the worst of times or when I felt on top of the world. I’m both nervous and excited to be putting them out into the world, as this is the most personal I’ve ever been in my songwriting. It’s the story so far.”
For all its timeless style, ‘Little Miss Jagged’ pulsates with the thrilling rush of an artist with the youth and confidence to push her talents to the limits. All of those qualities are wrapped up in the new focus track ‘Electric’, an aptly-titled blast of rambunctious rock ‘n’ soul that doubles up as a personal mission statement with the lyrics, “Let the power of the music take me away!”
The surprises keep popping up and vying for attention throughout the new songs that sparkle throughout the record. There are moments that simmer with a power that reflects the great divas of recent decades (‘Timeless’), gospel-flavoured, radio-friendly slowburners (‘Different Kinda Pretty’) and brass-assisted pop-rock power (‘Steady Rock Steady’). Collectively it affirms that Courtney Hadwin has become the remarkable, singular talent that she was tipped for – but also someone that hasn’t compromised to reach that status. It’s the start of much bigger things to come.
The album is also testament to her abilities as a songwriter. Every song was co-written by Courtney with her producer Kevin Bowe (Etta James).
‘Little Miss Jagged’ is streaming HERE, while physical copies (vinyl and CD) are available to buy HERE.
Courtney Hadwin brings an electrifying presence to live shows, as shown in her recent ‘Live At Metropolis Studios’ video series. She will celebrate the release of the album by playing a run of UK headline shows next week. Tickets for the dates, listed below, are available HERE.
SEPTEMBER
15th – London, The Waiting Room
16th – Birmingham, The Victoria
17th – Manchester, Gullivers
