America’s Got Talent alum Bianca Ryan is back to show off her musical prowess nearly 17 years after winning the show’s first season grand prize.
The singer was just 11 when she was crowned the season one winner in 2006 – an honor that also came with a million dollar prize.
But the Philadelphia native was forced to put her career on hold amid health issues as she underwent surgery for a “paralyzed vocal cord”.
Bianca, now 28, is back to impress fans once again with her ever-high ambitions.
America’s Got Talent alum Bianca Ryan, 28, is back in the spotlight, after recovering from health issues that plagued her – and her vocal cords – in the mid-2010s
Bianca won the grand prize for the first season of America’s Got Talent in 2006
After winning AGT’s first season, Bianca recalled her life becoming a “total whirlwind.”
After her big win, Bianca became the first artist to sign with Simon Cowell’s SYCO music label
In the aftermath of her victory, Bianca began touring the country and recorded her first studio album, which was released later that year.
Although she got off to a good start, Bianca later confessed that it was only a few years before she “noticed that my voice just didn’t work with me”.
Bianca first wowed judges David Hasselhoff, Brandy Norwood and Piers Morgan with a rendition of Jennifer Hudson’s And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.
She embarked on the heels of her big win – releasing a self-titled studio album and a Christmas-themed EP in late 2006.
The pre-teen prodigy also became the first artist to sign with Simon Cowell’s now-defunct label Syco Music.
But it wasn’t long before things started to slow down for the aspiring pop star.
This was partly due to her decision to take a break from the showbiz circuit and finish high school.
However, his biggest battle turned out to be with his own body.
Reveal your health issues on the 2019 spin-off America’s Got Talent: The Champions, she revealed: “After America’s Got Talent, my life was a total whirlwind. I was touring, doing music videos.
“Then after a few years, I noticed my voice just wasn’t working with me,” she continued.
Bianca has taken off after her big win on AGT, releasing a self-titled debut album and Christmas EP before the end of the year.
As it happens, the same vocal cords that catapulted Bianca to fame would become a major obstacle to the aspiring pop idol’s health.
It was, however, only a few years before she had to put her career on hold in the mid-2010s due to health issues.
The Philadelphia native had to undergo surgery on her vocal cords in 2016
The singer recently performed at her hometown stadium in Philadelphia during an NFL game
When not performing in public arenas, Bianca has started serenading her fans on TikTok
“I finally went to see an EMT, and he was like, ‘Basically, one of your vocal cords is paralyzed. You’re going to need surgery and there’s a chance you’ll never be able to sing again.
Bianca finally underwent the necessary surgery in 2016 and was back in action in time to feature in the Champions season debut.
In the years since her final stint on AGT, she entertained fans with her musical talent on her social media — as well as occasional public appearances.
The singer treated her more than 75,000 followers on TikTok with original renditions of recent chart-topping hits – trading her own lyrics over portions of otherwise familiar melodies.
Putting an autobiographical version of Taylor Swift’s anti-hero in a December TikTok, Bianca can be heard screaming, “Sometimes I’m scared I’ll never make it past the winner’s ribbon/Cause I’m gonna trip 5 feet before/Well I won best costume even though I design my own scraps/I cut my shoelaces at the door.
“Have you heard being your own worst enemy and criticizing gets heavy/It’s never a happy ending/Someday I’ll stop setting my own traps/Maybe leave a key under the rug/To where I locks me up,” she continues, before launching into Swift’s original chorus.
The singer is known for rewriting the lyrics of chart-topping hits, doing the custom edits for her TikTok after
Bianca also offered a riff on a different pop hit in another TikTok posted that month.reimagining Sam Smith’s “Unholy” from “(The Wife’s Perspective)”, the overlaid text of the clip read.
And she re-entered the music scene with a bang.
Last May, she made her Madison Square Garden debut as an adult, performing The Star-Spangled Banner to a crowd of 20,000 before a boxing match featuring Jake Paul.
Shortly after, in October 2022, she performed the national anthem at Lincoln Financial Field in her hometown during an NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
“I’m so proud of my hometown and appreciate all the love and support that was shown that night,” she captioned a “gram documenting the occasion.”
‘PS One of my goals as a singer is to perform the National Anthem for the #SuperBowl Fingers crossed! xo,” she added in the caption.
At that, Bianca left no doubt that she intended to continue working solo, her ambitions as high as they ever were.
America’s Got Talent returns tonight for its 18th season with Simon Cowell, Sofia Vegara, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum as judges and Terry Crews as host.
