Bianca Ryan was just 11 years-old when she won the very first season of “America’s Got Talent.” At the time, fans were blown away that a little girl could have such a big voice!

After she won the competition, Bianca started getting gigs all over the country, but these constant performances soon began to take a toll.

“After America’s Got Talent, my life was a total whirlwind. I was touring, I was doing music videos. Then after a few years I noticed my voice just wasn’t working with me,” she recalled.

Bianca finally saw a doctor and was given the heartbreaking news that her vocal cords were paralyzed and that she would need surgery to repair them. Worst of all, she was told that she might never sing again.

“It felt like the moment where, like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is all crashing down on me.’ I had to go to speech therapists to relearn how to speak. I started getting less fan mail, less comments and less views [on my YouTube videos],” Bianca explained. “I felt like I had just disappeared and everybody was just forgetting.”

Over a decade later, Bianca took the stage last week to perform on “America’s Got Talent: The Champions”. For Bianca, just making it onstage was a victory in it of itself.

“I have been working a lot the last year and a half to just make this comeback. I lived 12 years in shadows, and I’m ready to see the light again,” she said.

Bianca was so nervous that she was shaking when she took the stage. As soon as she began to sing “Say Something” by A Great Big World, however, she blew the judges away with her talent! Despite everything she has been through, Bianca was able to show off her range by hitting some incredibly high notes.

By the time she was done, the audience was giving her the standing ovation that she deserved!

The judges praised Bianca, saying that she made the show what it is today.

“I think, without you, we may not be sitting here. I’m genuinely thrilled that you’re back… this was a great start for the show,” said Simon Cowell, with Howie Mandel adding, “I was wondering what happened to you, and to have these barriers put up and then to have the wherewithal to overcome all that, you really are a champion. In life.”

“You delivered with the key changes and the soft and the light and the dark. It was just magnificent,” judge Mel B. said.

We’re so glad that Bianca Ryan is back and better than ever! Check out her unforgettable performance below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clQOqLiqlcs