Courtney Hadwin has signed a long-term recording contract with Syco Music in partnership with Arista Records in the US.

The 14-year-old from Hartlepool, Northern England rose to fame in the US after she starred in this year's series of America's Got Talent on NBC.

Courtney, then just 13 years old, auditioned for America's Got Talent with her rendition of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" to secure the Golden Buzzer. The performance was watched by more than 11 million TV viewers, and within a week it had been viewed more than 130 million times online. Her audition performance alone has now been viewed over 250 million times.

In subsequent rounds, Courtney performed classic hits including Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, Born To Be Wild and River Deep, Mountain High.  Courtney has since been invited to take part in America's Got Talent: The Champions – featuring a who's who of Got Talent contestants from across the globe. That series will air on NBC in January 2019.

With a distinctive rock vocal that belies her age and an effervescent performance style, Courtney has been compared to a latter-day Janis Joplin. Behind the lights and cameras, Courtney is a quiet girl who taught herself to sing and dance, having spent countless hours watching performances online and falling in love with the music of legends such as Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Etta James and James Brown. Inspired by the soul and depth those artists carry through their music, Courtney now follows her own path- making and performing the kind of music she loves, for new generations.

Courtney Hadwin said: "It feels amazing to be joining Syco and I am super excited and feel so lucky. I've always wanted to work on original songs and to be able to do that with the support of Syco while staying true to myself and the music I like is a dream come true. I can't thank them enough for giving me this chance."

Simon Cowell said: "Courtney is an amazing artist. I will never forget her first audition on the show this year, and now we have the opportunity to work with her alongside Arista - it's fantastic. We are all really excited about her future."

David Massey, President of Arista Records said: "Courtney Hadwin is an exceptional talent with a voice and spirit well beyond her years. You can expect the unexpected with Courtney, and the entire Arista team looks forward to championing this next phase of her career alongside Syco Entertainment."

Tyler Brown, Managing Director of Syco Music said: "Courtney is a force of nature! When she hits the stage there is no one like her in the world. A unique and exciting talent. We can't wait to hear the music she's going to create over the coming years." 

Courtney is currently in the studio working on new music due to be released in 2019 with Syco and Arista; joining globally renowned artists such as Camila Cabello, Louis Tomlinson, Grace Vanderwaal, James Arthur, CNCO, Labrinth and many more.