Just the Beginning is the debut studio album by then 13-year-oldWeatherby, Taylor. "Grace VanderWaal Puts Her Ukulele Spin on Taylor Swift's 'Look What You Made Me Do'", Billboard, September 27, 2017; and Carter, Brooke. "What Happened to Grace VanderWaal – Now in 2017", Gazetter Review, March 25, 2017 American singer-songwriter Grace VanderWaal, consisting of twelve original tracks. It is VanderWaal's first full-length project and follows her debut EP, Perfectly Imperfect (2016).
The album was released on November 3, 2017, by Columbia Records and Syco Music, produced by Ido Zmishlany, Tim Sommers, Sean Douglas, Greg Wells and Gregg Wattenberg, among others. It debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number 22. In advance of the album's release, VanderWaal released several singles from the album and promoted it with various live and broadcast appearances, and she further promoted it with her sold-out Just the Beginning Tour, which ran from November 2017 to February 2018. VanderWaal has writing credits for every song on Just the Beginning."AGT winner Grace VanderWaal announces debut album, Just the Beginning" , WJBD-FM, September 18, 2017
Background and promotion By early 2017, VanderWaal began working on the album, telling Billboard that it will be "more produced ... really the same sound ... [but] less acoustic" than her debut EP, Perfectly Imperfect (2016).Weatherby, Taylor. "Grace VanderWaal on What She's Learned Since Being Signed & What Fans Can Expect on Her Debut Album", Billboard, March 8, 2017Armstrong, Megan. "Grace VanderWaal Announces Debut Album Release Date & Title, Unveils New Song 'So Much More Than This'", Billboard, September 15, 2017 She has said that her process changed for the album from her previous efforts, because she was writing songs "on demand" with a collaborator: "I've never done this before; it's kind of weird to go into a room with usually a 30-year-old man and just be like 'Oh, let me open up about my life to you and write a super personal song!'"Campbell, Nilina Mason. "Grace VanderWaal: 'Moonlight'", Rookie, June 20, 2017 VanderWaal has writing credits for every song on Just the Beginning.Nguyen, Lisa. "Grace VanderWaal Announces Debut Album Just the Beginning, Shares Catchy New Single" , Paste, September 15, 2017
On May 21, 2017, VanderWaal previewed "Burned" and "Just a Crush" at her benefit concert at The Valley Hospital in New Jersey.VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal Valley Hospital Concert – Set 1", Facebook.com, May 21, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017; and VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal Valley Hospital Concert – Set 2", Facebook.com, May 21, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017 On June 21, as part of VidCon's opening show, YouTube OnStage, at Anaheim Convention Center in California, she premieredLaurie, Sullivan "In a First, YouTube Opens VidCon With Live High-Dollar Production Streamed Online", MediaPost Communications, June 22, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017 the first single from the album, "Moonlight".Kaufman, Gil. "Grace VanderWaal Drops Perfect Summer Song, 'Moonlight'", Billboard, June 21, 2017 On July 20, 2017, she released her first official music video, for "Moonlight", which has accumulated more than 45 million views on YouTube.VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – 'Moonlight'", YouTube, July 20, 2017, accessed February 6, 2020 Her television promotions of the album began on August 15, with a return to America's Got Talent as a guest performer singing "Moonlight". She won the competition in 2016.Stone, Natalie. "AGT Champion Grace VanderWaal Returns & Receives Standing Ovation from Judges After Performance of 'Moonlight'", People magazine, August 16, 2017 On August 11, she released a second single from the album, "Sick of Being Told".Roberts, Karen. "Another new single from Grace VanderWaal", The Journal News, August 11, 2017 On September 4, VanderWaal performed "Moonlight" on Live with Kelly and Ryan.Stockly, Ed. "Monday's TV highlights: The Reagan Show on CNN", Los Angeles Times, September 3, 2017 She released a third single from the album, "So Much More Than This", on September 14.VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – So Much More Than This (Audio)", YouTube, September 14, 2017 VanderWaal performed "Moonlight" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 18, 2017.Stockly, Ed. "Friday's TV highlights: 11th Annual ACM Honors on CBS", Los Angeles Times, September 14, 2017 She released a promotional single from the album, "Escape My Mind", on October 5, 2017.Sands, Nicole. "Grace VanderWaal's New Song 'Escape My Mind' Will Make You Think About It All the Time", People magazine, October 5, 2017 VanderWaal performed new songs from the album at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October.Tanner, Avery. "ACL Profile: Grace Vanderwaal" , Austin Monthly, October 6, 2017 On October 26, 2017, VanderWaal released a second promotional single, "City Song".Armstrong, Megan. "Grace VanderWaal Keeps Growing Up Before Our Eyes on 'City Song': Listen", Billboard, October 26, 2017 She appeared on Total Request Live on November 2 to promote the album and sing "So Much More Than This".Gore, Sydney. "Grace VanderWaal Does Her Best Britney Spears Impression On TRL" , MTV, November 2, 2017
VanderWaal released Just the Beginning on November 3, 2017.Croke, Karen. "Grace VanderWaal won AGT one year ago, Sept. 14, 2016", The Journal News, September 14, 2016 She sang "Moonlight" on Megyn Kelly Today on the release date"Watch AGT winner Grace VanderWaal sing live on Megyn Kelly Today , NBC, November 3, 2017 and began her first solo tour, the Just the Beginning Tour, on November 5, 2017, to promote the album.Mallenbaum, Carly. "Grace VanderWaal doesn't hide behind a ukulele on her 'Just the Beginning' tour", USA Today, November 7, 2017 By September 2017, the 13-city tour had sold out. Later in November, she promoted the album in Japan with performances and interviews."13歳の天才シンガー・ソングライター、グレース・ヴァンダーウォールが緊急再来日、ミニLIVE&握手会レポート" ("13-year-old genius singer / songwriter, Grace VanderWaal urgently arrives in Japan, Mini Live & handshake meeting report"), Iflyer.TV, November 28, 2017 In December, she released a music video for "So Much More Than This".Armstrong, Megan. "Grace VanderWaal Finds Inspiration in Lost Letters, a Puppy & an Open Field in 'So Much More Than This' Video", Billboard, December 4, 2017; and VanderWaal, Grace. "Grace VanderWaal – 'So Much More Than This'", YouTube, December 4, 2017 In January 2018, VanderWaal released a music video for "City Song".Angermiller, Michele Amabile. "Grace Vanderwaal Is 'So Happy' for Alessia Cara's Grammy Win, Says Kesha Was 'Incredible'", Variety, January 31, 2018 The tour concluded in February 2018.Kaufman, Gil. "Watch Grace VanderWaal's Triumphant Return to America's Got Talent Stage", Billboard, August 17, 2017
Production Producers on the album include Ido Zmishlany, Tim Sommers, Sean Douglas, Greg Wells, Gregg Wattenberg, Derek Fuhrmann, Mike Adubato and Michel Heyaca. Recording and mixing were performed at VsTheWorld Studios, Brooklyn, New York (tracks 1, 7, 8, 12 and 14), VanderWaal's home (track 1), Hourglass Studio, New York, New York (track 2), Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, California (track 3), Rocket Carousel Studio, Los Angeles, California (tracks 4, 10 and 13), Arcade Studios, New York, NY (tracks 5, 6, 9 and 11) and Platinum Sound Recording Studios, New York, New York (tracks 7, 8, 12 and 14).VanderWaal, Grace. Just the Beginning, Target deluxe version liner notes, November 3, 2017
Reception Before the album was released, reviewers commented on the individual song releases: Gil Kaufman of Billboard magazine wrote that "Moonlight" "displays a fun tropical beat making it the perfect summer song" and that it "digs a little deeper" and "displays maturity". Raisa Bruner of Time commented that the song "maintains [VanderWaal's] acoustic flair while layering in a lightly tropical touch".Raisa, Bruner. "5 Songs You Need to Listen to This Week", Time, June 24, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017 Jon Caramanica of The New York Times opined the album "sounds like steroidal bluegrass-inflected space-pop", and VanderWaal's vocal "sounds emotionally exhausted, like a singer twice her age, or more."Parles, Jon, Jon Caramanica and Giovanni Russonello "The Playlist: Drake Shows Off His Latest Obsessions", The New York Times, June 23, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017 Lisa Nguyen of Paste wrote of "Sick of Being Told": "The track is a catchy tune with poppy beats that perfectly capture [VanderWaal's] youthful spirit." Ali Booth, in Tiger Beat, stated: "We haven’t been able to get ... 'So Much More Than This' out of our heads since she released it last month!"Booth, Ali. "Grace Vanderwaal Opens Up About the Meaning Behind 'So Much More Than This'", Tiger Beat, October 7, 2017 A critic for Dallas Observer wrote that the same track "has a simple beat, but it explodes with sound when the chorus hits."Bostick, Nicholas. "The 10 Best Concerts of the Week: Fetty Wap, Shovels and Rope, G-Eazy and More", Dallas Observer, February 12, 2018 The headline of People magazine's review of "Escape My Mind" said that the song "will make you think about it all the time", and reviewer Nicole Sands called it a "catchy upbeat song".
Nicholas Hautman of Us Weekly wrote that the album "transcends the comparisons [to Taylor Swift] that have followed [VanderWaal] since AGT. ... Throughout the refreshing LP, VanderWaal channels the folky twang of Swift's earlier projects, but intertwines the sounds of fellow musicians Florence Welch, Regina Spektor and even Miley Cyrus".Hautman, Nicholas. "Grace VanderWaal Transcends Taylor Swift Comparisons on Debut Album Just the Beginning", Us Weekly, November 2, 2017 Selina Fragassi of the Chicago Sun-Times commented that VanderWaal's "raspy-sweet-peculiar vocals recall Elle King, Regina Spektor and Katy Perry ... [and] proves herself a modern-day Mozart".Fragassi, Selina. "It's Just The Beginning for AGT champ Grace VanderWaal", Chicago Sun-Times, November 10, 2017 The Buffalo News, reviewer opined: "The album tackles a wide range of scenarios and emotions, well beyond her 13 years, in 12 magnificently crafted tracks. VanderWaal entrances listeners with the pop masterpieces of 'Florets' and 'City Song', while conveying raw, powerful emotion in 'A Better Life' and 'Darkness Keeps Chasing Me'. It is this vast diversity in her songwriting that makes her stand out as a truly unique and exquisite artist."Renzoni, Alex. "With new, magnificently crafted album, Grace VanderWaal starts new chapter", The Buffalo News, November 9, 2017 USA Today's review of the album noted:
Commercial performance In the United States, the album debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200 with 21,000 album-equivalent units, which included 17,000 traditional album sales. The album has been streamed more than 352 million times on Spotify as of December 2025."Grace VanderWaal – Spotify Top Albums", Kworb, December 22, 2025
Track listing
Personnel Adapted from the liner notes.
Mike Adubato – accordion ; percussion ; drum programming ; keyboards ; piano ; Pro Tools; producer Raymond Argueta – engineer Dylan Brady – ukulele Sarah Bromley – product manager John Doelp – A&R Sean Douglas – instrumentation , producer Jeremy Dussolliet – background vocals Dave Eggar – cello , cello arrangement, string arrangements, strings Mark Endert – mixing Derek Fuhrmann – drum programming ; guitar ; bass guitar ; keyboards ; percussion ; producer; background vocals Michel Heyaca – vocal engineer Bruno Jornada – assistant Dave Kutch – mastering Jordan Miller – background vocals Zoë Moss – background vocals Jeremy Nichols – engineer Andrew Pertes – bass ; upright bass Che Pope – engineer Pierre-Luc Rioux – bass, guitar Olivia Smith – art direction, design Tim Sommers – bass; drums , guitar; keyboards ; background vocals ; engineer; mixing; percussion; producer; ukulele