.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

Being thrust into the spotlight is something not every one can handle.

Yet, Grace VanderWaal has handled it – gracefully.

She beat out the competition on the 11th season of the NBC show “America’s Got Talent” in 2016. That was at age 12.

Flash forward two years, and the now-14-year-old musician has one EP, “Perfectly Imperfect,” and one full-length album, “Just the Beginning,” under her belt.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip

................................................................

And she’s not slowing down.

She’s released a new single, “Clearly,” and snagged the starring role in Disney’s coming film “Stargirl.”

Currently, she is opening for Imagine Dragons’ “Evolve Tour,” which makes a stop in Albuquerque on Wednesday, July 18.

WanderWaal performs in front of thousands for the shows.

“The tour is going very well, in my opinion,” she says softly. “Before the tour started, I soaked up everything that I was going to miss. I feel like there is no way to prepare for a tour like this.”

After she won “America’s Got Talent,” VanderWaal’s life changed immediately.

But her family foundation and music remained constant.

She tackles each task with sophistication and fun.

“I feel like this opportunity is really great,” she says. “It’s very overwhelming, of course. I’m not used to it. And this lifestyle is very unpredictable. I try to stay focused on the music.”

VanderWaal has accumulated 500 million streams worldwide, over 230 million video views and 7 million social media followers.

When it comes to writing, the teenager simply writes what she knows.

“All of my songs are very personal,” she says. “It’s hard to explain. I want fans to connect to what I’m saying. I want to relate to all of them through music and telling a story.”

While on tour, VanderWaal says she “tries her best” to remain busy.

At times, life on the road can get boring, she says.

“I’m doing nothing until, like, 7,” she says. “Before that, I go to catering and sleep.”

A follow-up album to “Just the Beginning” will come, but VanderWaal doesn’t know when.

After the tour is over, she gets two weeks off before beginning production for “Stargirl.”

“Everything in my life is just really such a reward,” she says. “To be so motivated and inspired all the time. It’s something that is granted to me in a different way, and I do the best I can with it.”