Grace was not part of the lineup, but was on stage to sing a bit of "I Don't Know My Name" and then introduce Ellie Goulding. She was clearly surprised at the audience reaction and by their singing along to her song.
"One of the loudest receptions of the night was for Grace VanderWaal, a precociously thoughtful 12-year-old singer-songwriter-ukulele player who won this year’s installment of the reality-TV competition “America’s Got Talent.” (Jon Caramanica, New York Times Dec. 11, 2016)
“America’s Got Talent” winner Grace VanderWaal had the coolest moment during this year’s iHeart Radio Jingle Ball. While performing her famous “I Don’t Know My Name,” the audience started singing the words back to her. The 12-year-old singer was so overwhelmed by the moment that she got a little choked up and, understandably, freaked out.
“Oh my god, yes!” she exclaimed. “That was such a good moment! I was not expecting that… Thank you!” After holding her mic out to the audience, a teary Grace went on to finish the song and thank the crowd for their participation. So cute. (
One Country, 20. Dec 2016)
------
Jingle Ball (also known as the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour since 2011) is an annual concert tour series organized by iHeartMedia. The concert series is noted for featuring several marquee performers in a day-long series of sets. Often, noted celebrities are on hand to introduce each act. The performance in New York City on December 9, was should out, with an audience of 17.609 people. The performance benefited the Robin Hood homeless charity fund. Other performers that night were Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Meghan Trainor, Fifth Harmony, Ellie Goulding, Charlie Puth, and Lukas Graham.
