Rise to Fame
When Sara walked onto the stage for her audition for the 17th season of “America’s Got Talent,” everything about her screamed “star!” Unlike most contestants whose nerves show as soon as they appear, Sara was composed and had an aura of calmness around her. She owned the stage, and wasn’t intimidated by the fully packed auditorium, as she shared some lighthearted exchanges with Simon, revealing that she was just 13 years old, which shocked the judges and the audience, since she spoke and conversed with a level of maturity way above her age.
The crowd went quiet as Sara took a deep breath and calmly launched into her performance of “Lovely” by Billie Eilish. The performance embodied the classic calmness and maturity that Sara’s fans have now come to love, showing-off her excellent vocal control, as she hit and held high notes, raised and lowered her voice to capture the deeply emotional meaning the song has to her, and held the attention of her audience with her ability to pass on her emotions to them through her voice.
Sara’s trance-like hold on the crowd was broken when she sang the last note, sending Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara to their feet with the audience, to applaud the 13-year-old musical prodigy, as a still seated Simon Cowell clapped. When the crowd calmed down, Simon talked about how coming to the US changed his life, adding that he would like to make Sara’s first time in the country memorable before crowning her musical prowess and outstanding performance with the Golden Buzzer. With one press of the button, Simon Cowell set Sara on the path that AGT musical prodigies before her have followed to stardom.
Now, every person who watches Sara’s audition on YouTube asks the question, “How is Sara James doing now?”
Early Life and Musical Foundation
Born on 10 June 2008, Sara Zofia Egwu-James isn’t yet 15 years old. She has three siblings, Michelle James, John Junior, and Jakub Dancewicz. Sara was born to a Polish mother while her father is of Nigerian descent, but grew up in the US. At her age, Sara is just in high school, holds a first degree in music from Slubice, plays the piano and the guitar. Despite gaining global success for a raw, powerful voice that she’s learned to control allowing her to hit high and low notes without straining, Sara is continuing her music education by taking vocal lessons with Edyta Kregiel, and practicing her singing and performing at the Municipal Cultural Center.
Sara gets her musical talent and interest in singing, playing instruments and performing from her parents. Her father John is a singer and performer, who has participated in some talent competitions. In 2011, he was one of the “X-factor” contestants, appeared in the “Bitwa na voices” choir singing competition as part of a choir, and half of the Polish singing duet “Loui & John”, under contract with Sony Music Poland.
Sara’s mother, Arleta Dancewicz, is equally musically talented, but didn’t pursue music professionally, although sang in church when Sara was growing up. Inspired by her mother’s passionate performances and her father’s professional musical acts, Sara joined a local children’s choir, and staged several performances across the city. She honed her vocal and performing skills through seasonal performances such as in a local Christmas Carols Festival, and entered some singing competitions for children. Although Sara’s parents are now separated, they both support Sara in her aspiration for a career in music, and have shared her confidence that she will rise to become a global music icon, since she started singing at four years and staged performances individually and as part of a group at just six years of age.
“The Voice Kids-Poland”
Sara joined her first major singing competition, “World Talent Show” in 2020, when she was just 12 years old, placing third in the competition, and was the proud recipient of the coveted Silver Microphone, and honored to receive the award at the closing performance of the Lubuski Song Festival Pro Arte. Although she didn’t win, emerging third emboldened Sara, and encouraged her to sign up for larger competitions.
In 2021, Sara entered her name for consideration for a slot on “The Voice Kids” Poland. For her blind audition, Sara chose to perform Demi Lovato’s “Anyone.” Her performance, which has gathered over 4.45 million views on YouTube, enthralled the audience, and had all coaches pressing their buttons and turning within seconds to indicate they wanted her on their teams. She chose Tomson and Baron, and embarked on a journey of musical discovery as she learned from the two rockstars.
Tomson and Baron’s mentorship was evident in Sara’s first battle on “The Voice Kids.” She battled two fellow contestants Amelia and Matylda, performing Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” Although the two girls were talented, Sara beat them easily and earned the favor of all judges as well as the admiration of the live audience. With her new status as fan favorite, Sara put on impressive performances, particularly in the finals when a whistle note in her performance of Will Ferrel and Molly Sanden’s “Husavik (My Hometown)” had the crowd on its feet clapping and screaming for minutes after she finished singing.
Sara’s ability to impress the crowd with the raw power of her voice, the passion she put into her performances, and her ability to improve on past performances under the guidance of her coaches, earned her first place in the competition. With the title of the winner of the 4th season of “The Voice Kids Poland,” Sara set her eyes on competitions outside her native Poland, as part of a strategy to take her voice and music career global.
“Szansa na Sukces” and “Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021”
One year after winning “The Voice Kids Poland,” Sara entered “Szansa na Suckes,” a Polish talent show that offered an opportunity for its winners to participate in a European junior singing competition. For the competition’s finale, Sara sang her way into the audience’s hearts with her cover of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, which won her the competition, receiving the most votes from both audience and judges, installing her as Poland’s representative in the “Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021.”
🇵🇱 Sara James
🎶 Somebody
📺 https://t.co/HiLUOtE2hJ pic.twitter.com/wxiGTv2pmO— Junior Eurovision (@EurovisionJr) October 18, 2021
In December that year, Sara, who had never performed outside Poland, went to Paris for the “Junior Eurovision Song Contest.” Unlike her past performances where she sang covers of her favorite songs, Sara made the bold and risky decision to perform her own original song “Somebody.” Her gamble paid off, as she received a standing ovation from the audience. She emerged second in the competition, to Armenia. Although she didn’t win the competition, the audience and jury’s reaction to her song and performance gave her the boost of confidence she needed to try for a spot on “America’s Got Talent.”
“America’s Got Talent” and “All Stars”
“The Voice Kids Poland” laid a foundation for Sara’s success in her music career, while the “Junior Eurovision Song Contest” gave her a platform to take her music to the rest of Europe. She remained relatively unknown to the rest of the world until 2022, when she earned her spot on “America’s Got Talent” or “AGT” as the competition is commonly known. At “AGT,” Sara carved a spot out as a fan favorite with her first performance, which earned her a Golden Buzzer from the fastidious and fellow European record Executive Simon Cowell.
When Simon gave Sara a permanent spot in the live shows in Las Vegas, Nevada, the then 13-year-old secured a platform to showcase her voice and performing prowess to an American audience. However, the guaranteed spot didn’t lessen her resolve to continue delivering unforgettable performances that would earn her fans among the show’s global audience. In the semi-finals, her first performance after the audition, Sara sang Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” earning herself another standing ovation from the audience. The performance has over four million views on YouTube, and has attracted 4,665 comments, each expressing awe over her ability to hit, hold, and switch notes effortlessly, while maintaining control of her vocals.
In the finals, Sara impressed the audience with a cover of “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush. Her performance had all four judges on their feet celebrating with the crowd, and hoping that the emotional, well-paced, and captivating rendition of the song earned the 13-year-old the ultimate prize. However, she was not named among the top five, finishing in the bottom six of the top 11 contestants in the show. Although she didn’t win the competition, she left with a large group of loyal fans who flocked to the comment section of the video of her performance in the finals to express their surprise and disappointment that she wasn’t named the winner of “AGT” season 17.
https://www.facebook.com/johnjamesofficial/posts/pfbid02ys948Uo1RVTcwKMB52pkuPr69KW1X8hCtK8P6Mg5rvaMgK5VH2EKr8sHzgr6RVw7l
However, Sara was chosen as one of the contestants for “America’s Got Talent: All Stars” early in 2023, against musical prodigies and groups from past seasons such as the Bello Sisters, the Light Balance Kids, Aidan Bryant, and the Detroit Youth Choir. For her performance at “All Stars,” Sara chose “As It Was” by recent Grammy Award winner Harry Styles. Before her performance, Sara engaged in a conversation with Simon Cowell, discussing her performance in the previous competition and aspirations for the future. Her characteristic confidence and promise that she will become the first “AGT” prodigy to win a Grammy had the crowd eagerly waiting to be blown away by her performance.
Sara didn’t disappoint the judges and her audience, producing her classic powerful, moving and captivating performance, which gained 2.8 million views on YouTube in just four weeks. Her rendition of the original song included most of the notes from the original, but Sara had altered some notes, transforming the song into a masterpiece. Unfortunately, she was up against fan favorites and prodigies from other seasons of “AGT”, who staged equally remarkable performances, and once again she was eliminated, although the audience, judges and Sara’s fans are convinced that she’s on her way to becoming a global icon in the music industry.
Record Deal, Album, and Original Music
In 2017, Sara released an Extended Playlist entitled “Just Like Me” containing four songs – “Blind,” “Boys Like You,” “Just Like Me,” and “If I Ever.” She wrote and released three other original songs in 2021, including “Czarny mlyn,” “Jak co roku,” and the song she performed at her first regional competition, “Somebody.”
After a successful stint at “AGT,” Sara James was signed by Universal Music Polska. She’s since written and released six original songs, including “My Wave” and “Take Sama.” In addition, Sara has released several covers as part of her record deal, most notably Harry Styles’ “As it Was”, and Elton John’s “Rocket Man.”
Her raw, powerful, and well-controlled voice, ability to bring out the emotion in her originals and covers, and to hold long notes has earned Sara millions of listeners across all music streaming platforms. In 2022, she became the most streamed artist on Spotify’s EQUAL Global playlist, with over 10 million streams on the platform. She was honored to become the first Polish artist to earn the coveted ambassadorial role on the music streaming platform.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cows4QRJEkj/
The Future
Sara hopes to win a Grammy someday. In 2023, she’s planning a tour for her new album, during which she hopes to unveil a more mature sound, and present herself to the world as a seasoned artist. Sara also hopes to become a role model for young people and women from all over the world, encouraging them to pursue their dreams.
The future is full of possibilities and opportunities for Sara to stage performances all over the world, share her voice and new sound with her fans, and release more original music.
