“Don’t trust everyone.” This is the advice former America’s Got Talent star Grace VanderWaal gave to her younger self after unexpectedly appearing on a TikTok clip, which has more than 29 million views.

The singer, who won the competition at just 12 years old in 2016, got interviewed by David Carmi as part of his Confidence Heist video series, in which he interviews passersby on New York streets for their secrets to self-assurance.

“Oh my god, you’re the TikTok guy! My name is Grace Vanderwaal,” the star exclaimed after being approached by Carmi, who promptly asked her what made her look so confident.

“Having somewhere to go. I think that makes people look confident. Just being in a rush,” she answered.

America’s Got Talent star Grace VanderWaal surprised fans by appearing all grown up in a surprise appearance on TikTok

Image credits: GOT TALENT

Eight years after her emotional victory, the now 20-year-old reflected on how growing up under public scrutiny pushed her out of her comfort zone, admitting that it forced her to “sink or swim.”

Since her TV debut, where Simon Cowell famously dubbed her the “next Taylor Swift,” Grace has constantly been under the spotlight.

In a 2022 interview with E! News, she spoke about the mental toll that her early fame had on her health and how she learned to take care of herself by focusing her attention on positive feedback.

Image credits: GOT TALENT

“Experiencing hate online at such a young age desensitized me to it,” she said. “But I’m grateful for it now because it prepared me for this life.”

In her latest update on August 26, Grace posted a photo of herself smoking on a New York City rooftop and shared behind-the-scenes footage from her recent music video for her hit Call It What You Want.

The singer is set to appear in the latest Francis Ford Coppola movie, Megalopolis, in which she plays a futuristic pop idol in a utopian city

Her Instagram account, which has over 6.5 million followers, also features her accomplishments as an actress, like the recent announcement of the release date of her latest movie, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.

The movie is an epic science fiction story written, directed, and produced by the acclaimed author, and it stars renowned actors such as Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, and Shia LaBeouf.

Grace plays the part of Vesta Sweetwater, a teen pop star in the futuristic utopia of New Rome.

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

“I saw a little girl performing an original song. I was delighted, but I couldn’t imagine how far she would go. Congratulations Grace for being more,” one of her fans wrote on the post, which confirmed the release date of the film to be September 27, 2024.

Coppola first held table readings for the movie in 2001, but budgeting concerns and the impact of the 9/11 terror attacks made the director reconsider its production.

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

The project restarted in April 2019, and the team started recruiting actors and other personalities for the film. In 2023, Grace VanderWaal, whom Coppola met through her father, was commissioned to write original songs for the film, with her role eventually expanding to on-screen appearances.

After her performance captured the hearts and minds of millions of fans around the globe, the artist has had a busy agenda with many shows and collaborations

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

After her triumphant win on America’s Got Talent, she used part of her prize to commission the construction of houses for herself and her sister, and she also donated a portion of her winnings to charity.

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

@confidenceheist Going against your fears, is what builds confidence #confidenceheist #inspiring🌍withconfidence #davidcarmi #nyc #gracevanderwaal #gracevanderwaaledit #gracevanderwaalfan #confidence #overcomefear #confident ♬ original sound – David Carmi

In 2016, she was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and she headlined four concerts in Las Vegas later that year, with all of them selling out.

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

2017 saw the Columbia Records signee perform atop the Empire State Building, Allstate Arena, and the New York Hotel. The singer also collaborated with the Cirque du Soleil and the Austria Special Olympic Games.

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

In 2018, VanderWaal traveled to Kenya with the Starkey Hearing Foundation to help hearing-impaired youth. She also appeared on late-night shows like Steven Colbert’s and James Corden’s.

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

More recently, Grace has been busy with her albums and acting career, the latter of which began when she starred as Susan Caraway in Disney’s Stargirl, based on a novel of the same name.

Followers of the TikToker were impressed to see how much the little girl who stole their hearts on America’s Got Talent had grown, and they were delighted to see her happy and healthy

Image credits: Grace VanderWaal

“Grace VanderWaal!? Is that how old I am!?” wrote one viewer in disbelief.

“Grace has grown into a beautiful woman. I still listen to Moonlight with the same emotion I did in 2017,” another said.

“She was my childhood! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her,” one fan wrote.

“How did she grow so fast!” said one user.

“She still has the same voice, the same soul as when she was a little girl. I instantly recognized her.” 

After being asked by the TikToker about her secret to self-confidence, Grace simply responded: “Just accept who you are. Ew, that’s so corny but it’s true.”

“She looks happy!” Fans were thrilled to see that the passage of time had not eroded the young star’s winning smile, and they wished her the best in the future

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