The infamously hard-to-please Simon Cowell dubbed America's Got Talent contestant Grace VanderWaal "the next Taylor Swift" -- and she's just 12 years old.
Clad in bright yellow pants and a cutesy Peter Pan collar, the singer and ukelele player wowed the judges and surprised the audience with a folksy performance of her original song I Don't Know My Name, immediately earning her a golden buzzer signaling a trip to the next round from judge Howie Mandel, who called her “a living, beautiful, walking miracle.”
While Cowell predicted that VanderWaal -- who will surely have plenty of people learning her name soon -- would be the next Swift, her quirky voice sounds more akin to Sia orIngrid Michaelson.
After VanderWaal was ushered off the stage with a standing ovation and lots of flying confetti, the judges gushed over her performance.
"I hundred percent think we've got a star," Cowell said. "I really do. This girl is special."
"And I'm now annoyed I didn't press the golden buzzer," he said laughing.
The young singer was herself pleasantly shocked by the reception of her performance, tweeting her thanks to the judges Wednesday night.
America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8/7 p.m. central.