Grace VanderWaal

The world is unpredictable.

The world is so big, and there's so many people, and there's only one you, and that's so special and unique to think about.

I had a lot of those fake friends. You just have to realize it's happening. You can't get caught up in the 'Oh, my God, they want to be my friend, finally' aspect.

Don't be afraid to cry. Everyone needs a good cry sometimes. Sometimes I'll feel it in my throat, like, 'Today I'm going to cry about something stupid,' so just to get it out of the way, I'll watch a sad movie or something, accepting that that's totally fine and feels good.

I always want to stay true to who I am, and if people don't like that, then that's okay. I think fans appreciate when you're genuine and honest, and that's how I try to be through all of this.

I've become a ukulele hoarder.

Honestly, I don't really hear the comparisons to Taylor Swift anymore. I think it's because people are finally starting to see me for who I am and my craft and not being the next Taylor.

Always be kind, but kindness doesn't mean that you have to not say what you think.

I do school online. My favorite thing to do with school is to finish things and then watch it go away, especially when I am working on a laptop.

I'll forever look at Imagine Dragons and hear them on the radio and think, 'They're great people.'

I think you need to figure out your balance. 'Cause if you think too much about that there's people around and - and how you're singing and looking and performing, I think that it won't be a good performance. Then, on the other hand, you can't just be in your own world.

Probably my sister was the only one to tell me that I was good singer until 'America's Got Talent.'

I play the saxophone, and I used to play the piano.

I started writing once I got the ukulele.

I love colors, but I also love rich sounds. And I feel like when it comes to colored ukuleles, people assume they're cheap or that they'll have a tinny sound. And I feel like it would be really beautiful to have a rich color but also to have a rich sound.

I've accomplished so much, have done so many projects, and have worked with such amazing people.

Child stardom is a really hard thing. It can really lead to bad things, and I think a lot of people have gone through that.

I love it when people refer to me as a singer-songwriter. I get flutters in my stomach because they say, 'This is Grace VanderWaal, singer-songwriter,' not, 'This is Grace VanderWaal, winner of 'America's Got Talent.'' I'm so proud of that; it's such a big chapter of my life. But it's nice to kind of not be known as just that.

That's the amazing part of humans - it's so weird how one person can inspire.

Schools should be safe.

When Ariana Grande was starting out, everyone was like, 'You're just like Mariah Carey!' She inspires me so much because she just kept going and made her own name, and no one even says that anymore.

I feel like my fans and I are all friends.

The artist I would love to be is inspiring and strong: show that I can be vulnerable but still independent.

I remember I asked my mom for a ukulele, and she said no because she thought I would never play it. So then I got my birthday money up, and I bought my own. It was the most rebellious thing I've ever done.

A family friend was staying with us once and had brought over a ukulele. I just loved the way she played it. I saved up the money from my 11th birthday and went out and bought one for myself.