Perfectly Imperfect is the debut EP by American recording artist Grace VanderWaal, the winner of America's Got Talent (AGT), season 11. Released on December 2, 2016, it includes all four songs that VanderWaal wrote and performed on AGT and another original song by VanderWaal, "Gossip Girl". Produced by Greg Wells, the EP debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number nine. It was the best selling EP of 2016.
Development and personnel VanderWaal, who was then 12 years old, signed a recording deal with Columbia Records in September 2016, soon after winning AGT, and started production of her debut EP, Perfectly Imperfect. She began recording sessions in New York in October. Pre-orders for the recording entitled purchasers to an instant download of VanderWaal's song "I Don't Know My Name", which was the song she auditioned with at AGT. The EP was released on December 2, 2016."Grace VanderWaal Unleashes Stunning Vocals on New Single 'Clay'", Billboard magazine, December 2, 2016
There are five songs on the EP, including all four of VanderWaal's original songs from AGT and another original, "Gossip Girl". The recording is produced and mixed by Greg Wells, who is also given a songwriting credit on "Beautiful Thing" and credited with arrangements and instrumentals on the album, except that VanderWaal is credited with ukulele playing on all of the songs except "Clay" and "Beautiful Thing"; Autumn Rowe is given a songwriting credit on three of the songs. VanderWaal's sister Olivia is credited with art design.Liner notes, Perfectly Imperfect, December 2016Spanos, Brittany. "Meet Grace VanderWaal: Pop Prodigy on the Edge of 13", Rolling Stone, January 6, 2017 A Walmart version features one additional song, "Missing You".
Singles and commercial uses The first single from the EP, "I Don't Know My Name", was released on November 18, 2016, the same day the EP became available for pre-order. The song was included as an immediate free download with EP pre-orders. The song debuted at number 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 37 on Billboards Digital Song Sales chart. In Australia, it debuted at number 82 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The song debuted at No. 38 on Billboards Hot Canadian Digital Singles Chart.Grace VanderWaal search, Billboard.biz, accessed December 14, 2016 Another song on the album, "Light the Sky", is featured as background music in Google's "Year in Search 2016" video.Heldman, Breanne L. "Watch Grace VanderWaal's glowing new lyric video for 'Light the Sky'", Entertainment Weekly, December 14, 2016
VanderWaal also released lyrics videos on her YouTubeVEVO channel for the songs on the EP. The first was for "I Don't Know My Name", on November 18, 2016, which has accumulated more than 30 million views.VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – I Don't Know My Name (Lyric)", YouTube, GraceVanderWaalVEVO, November 18, 2016, accessed November 8, 2018 The next was for "Clay", on December 2.VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – Clay (Lyric)", YouTube, GraceVanderWaalVEVO, December 2, 2016, accessed December 19, 2017 "Light the Sky" followed on December 14,VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – Light The Sky (Lyric)", YouTube, GraceVanderWaalVEVO, December 14, 2016 "Beautiful Thing" was released on December 21,VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal Beautiful Thing (Lyric)", YouTube, GraceVanderWaalVEVO, December 21, 2016 and "Gossip Girl" debuted on December 28, 2016.VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – Gossip Girl (Lyric)", YouTube, GraceVanderWaalVEVO, December 28, 2016 The lyrics videos for the five songs have been viewed a total of more than 55 million times.VanderWaal, Grace. GraceVanderWaalVEVO: Videos, YouTube, accessed November 8, 2018 Isis Briones of Teen Vogue wrote: "Through her lyrics alone, fans are able to feel exactly what her song is about – and once you pair them with her angelic melodies, there's definitely no stopping the feels."Briones, Isis. "Grace VanderWaal Premieres 'Gossip Girl' Lyric Video", Teen Vogue, December 28, 2016
In August 2017, Windex used VanderWaal's "Beautiful Thing" as the soundtrack for an advertisement.Bell, Sadie. "Grace VanderWaal's 'Beautiful Thing' Becomes a Tear-Jerker in New Windex Commercial", Billboard, August 8, 2017
Promotion VanderWaal has been promoting the EP with a series of appearances and performances. She performed "Light the Sky" and "Riptide" at halftime during the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 6, 2016. VanderWaal performed "I Don't Know My Name" in the 2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,Strum, Phil. "Grace VanderWaal performs at Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade", The Journal News, November 24, 2016 on NBC's Today show on November 28D'Zurilla, Christie. "Grace VanderWaal performs 'I Don't Know My Name', shares her age-related angst on Today", Los Angeles Times, November 28, 2016 and at the Christmas tree lighting at South Street Seaport, in New York City, on November 29, where she also sang "Light the Sky".Bladow, Janel. "Seaport Report: December 2016" , Downtown Express, December 1, 2016 She sang "I Don't Know My Name" on The Wendy Williams Show on December 2,Daw, Robbie. "Grace VanderWaal's Perfectly Imperfect EP Flies Up iTunes Chart: Watch 'Clay' Lyric Video", Idolator.com, December 2, 2016 at Cyndi Lauper's annual holiday fundraiser at the Beacon Theatre on December 3,Daw, Robbie. "Grace VanderWaal and Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors' Duet in New York Is Perfection: Watch", Idolator.com, December 4, 2016 on CBS's The Talk on December 8"The Talk – AGT Winner Grace VanderWaal Is Still on School Honor Roll" , msn.com, December 9, 2016; and Cantor, Brian. "Grace VanderWaal Set To Appear, Perform on December 8 The Talk", Headline Planet, December 2, 2016 and at Z100's Jingle Ball Tour 2016 stop at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2016."Jingle Ball 2016: See photos from the MSG concert", Newsday, December 9, 2016
In addition to her lyrics videos for the songs "I Don't Know My Name" and "Clay", VanderWaal released a video to promote Perfectly Imperfect on her YouTube VEVO channel featuring the song "I Don't Know My Name".VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – Perfectly Imperfect", YouTube, GraceVanderWaalVEVO, November 14, 2016, accessed December 19, 2017
Critical reception Lindsay Peoples, writing for New York Magazine, called the first four songs, after hearing them on AGT, "not only catchy but emotional and unique to her own sound, a mix of raw and folk".Peoples, Lindsay. "America's Got Talent Star Grace VanderWaal Is Just Getting Started", New York Magazine, December 5, 2016 Billboard magazine praised VanderWaal's vocals, finding them "reminiscent of a Taylor Swift-Regina Spektor hybrid". Brianna Wiest of Teen Vogue wrote: "The EP takes you through Grace's range, touching on issues that are all-too-well-known for young people, as well as soul-stokingly beautiful medleys that almost anyone could relate to. ... [W]e see ... her ability to master both a softer, vowel-breaking folk tone as well as push through a serious power-ballad by the end. It's rare that you see both at once, but that's part of the magic of Grace's sound: it's at once completely new, and totally unexpected."Wiest, Brianna. "Grace VanderWaal’s First EP, Perfectly Imperfect, Is Here", Teen Vogue, December 2, 2016 Vulture.com called "Beautiful Thing" "a pure delight, devoid of cynicism and complication ... [sung] with a voice that sounds [like] it should belong to a wistful 33-year-old.""8 Best New Songs of the Week", Vulture.com, December 6, 2016 After Windex used the song as the soundtrack to an advertisement, Billboard added that VanderWaal can: "make you cry while watching an advertisement for a cleaning product ... [because of her] striking vocals and sincere lyrics". Jamie Weikel of the Reading Eagle commented that VanderWaal's "raspy voice makes her music iconic and lovable".Weikel, Jamie. "Grace VanderWaal makes ukulele wail on debut EP", Reading.Eagle.com, January 10, 2017
Commercial performance The EP debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number nine.Caulfield, Keith. "The Hamilton Mixtape Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart", Billboard, December 11, 2016 and on Billboards Canadian Albums Chart at number eleven."On the Charts...This Week", FYI Music News, December 12, 2016 In its debut week, it sold about 52,000 units in the US, including 47,000 in physical form."Billboard 200 Album Chart – 18 Dec 2016", Creative Disc, December 18, 2016 It was the best selling EP of 2016 in the US.Angermiller, Michele Amabile. "America’s Got Talent Winner Grace VanderWaal to Return for Live Results Show", Variety, July 27, 2017The EP has been streamed more than 241 million times on Spotify as of December 2025."Grace VanderWaal – Spotify Top Albums", Kworb, December 22, 2025
Track listing
Charts Chart (2016) Peak position New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ) 2
References
External links Videos of the songs on the EP at VanderWaal's YouTube VEVO channel