Grace VanderWaal, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter who captivated audiences as the winner of America’s Got Talent at age 12, has returned with her long-awaited sophomore album, Childstar. Released on April 4, 2025, the nine-track concept album marks a striking transformation in both sound and identity for the young artist. The record delves deeply into themes of childhood fame, personal growth, and artistic self-reclamation.
Unlike her ukulele-infused pop beginnings, Childstar presents a moodier, theatrical soundscape that weaves together haunting melodies and emotionally charged lyrics. Grace’s evolution is unmistakable, with her vocals now brimming with confidence and her storytelling exploring far more complex and intimate emotional terrain.
A Bold New Direction
In Childstar, VanderWaal departs from her earlier image as a prodigious tween performer to embrace the complexities of early fame and the journey to maturity. The album is both a confessional and a confrontation, exposing the costs of growing up in the public eye. Tracks like “Babydoll” and “Fade” unpack themes of disillusionment and autonomy, while “Proud” and “Brand New” signal a desire to reclaim personal agency and self-worth.
Each song is structured as a chapter in a coming-of-age narrative, and Grace herself has described the process of creating Childstar as a deeply therapeutic experience. She uses the album to reflect on her past, shedding the constraints of a media-created persona and reintroducing herself to the world on her own terms.
The Tracklist
The album includes nine original tracks:
- Proud
- Brand New
- Homesick
- What’s Left of Me
- Call It What You Want
- Babydoll (feat. Aliyah’s Interlude)
- Beg For It
- Behavioral Problems
- Fade
Each song delivers a vignette of emotion, identity, or conflict. “Behavioral Problems” confronts how young stars are pathologized for simply being human, while “Call It What You Want” critiques the spectacle of fame. The haunting ballad “Fade” closes the album with a poignant meditation on disappearance and renewal.
The Tour Experience
To promote Childstar, Grace VanderWaal embarked on a North American tour beginning in May 2025, her first since 2019. The tour was intentionally intimate, limited to six cities, and held in smaller venues to create a personal connection with fans. Each performance was carefully curated as an immersive experience, combining music with visual art and narrative to reflect the album’s themes.
Tour stops included:
- May 4: Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
- May 7: The Great Hall, Toronto, Canada
- May 9: Atlantis, Washington, D.C.
- May 10: Racket, New York, NY
- May 18: The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA
- May 21: Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, CA
Fans and critics praised the tour for its authenticity and emotional resonance. Attendees were treated not only to live renditions of each album track but also to video interludes, monologues, and even costume changes that echoed the album’s arc from innocence to empowerment.
Expanding Her Artistic Horizons
In addition to the album, Grace released a short performance film titled Childstar: Final Act, which interprets five of the album’s tracks through dance, visual art, and conceptual storytelling. VanderWaal co-directed the film and performed in it, using it to artistically dissect the pressures of youth stardom and the commodification of young female artists.
The film portrays a character trapped in an artificial world of perfection who ultimately breaks free to find authenticity. It offers viewers a raw and symbolic representation of VanderWaal’s inner battles and growth.
A Star Redefined
Critical reception to Childstar has been overwhelmingly positive. Fans applaud Grace’s courage in sharing her truth and the depth of her artistry. Her growth is palpable in every note, lyric, and decision surrounding this project.
Listeners have praised the album as one of the most introspective and courageous efforts by a young artist in recent memory. Rather than chasing trends, Grace leans fully into her individuality. The combination of lyrical vulnerability and sonic experimentation has earned her comparisons to established alternative and theatrical artists, suggesting a promising new direction for her career.
On Screen and Beyond
Beyond the music scene, Grace VanderWaal is continuing to expand her artistic portfolio. She stars in the upcoming film Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and set for release on September 27, 2025. In the film, she plays Vesta Sweetwater, a virginal pop star embroiled in a digital identity scandal. The role marks a significant step in Grace’s acting career, showcasing her versatility and willingness to engage with challenging subject matter.
Grace’s reinvention has also ignited interest from other creatives and industry peers who see her as a multifaceted talent with the potential to cross artistic boundaries seamlessly. With Childstar, VanderWaal is not just redefining herself musically but also establishing her place as a broader cultural figure.
Conclusion
With Childstar, Grace VanderWaal has delivered more than just a second album—she’s presented a manifesto of growth, vulnerability, and creative self-possession. It is a powerful statement from an artist coming into her own, unafraid to revisit the shadows of her past to forge a more authentic future.
The album and its accompanying tour and short film reaffirm VanderWaal’s place not just in pop culture, but in the evolving conversation about childhood fame, identity, and the resilience of young women artists. As she steps into her next chapter, Grace VanderWaal proves that reinvention isn’t just possible—it can be revolutionary.