‘America’s Got Talent’ has been airing on TV for 20 years now, providing a platform for talent to become a huge name using the world’s largest stage. Back in 2006, it was the only show welcoming all kinds of talent. That said, Bianca Ryan, then an 11-year-old girl, became the very first winner of AGT season 1. She wowed the judges with her strong vocals and won $1 million in prize money.
On August 16, 2006, Bianca was crowned the winner, and just four months after, she released her ‘Bianca Ryan’ album, which had a track, ‘Why Couldn’t It Be Christmas Every Day?‘ The song has been streamed 21 million times on Spotify and has almost 2 million views on YouTube. This song is so popular that it always has a place in the top 50 Christmas songs.
So, what happened to Bianca Ryan and where is she now?
Bianca Had Vocal Cord Surgery
As Bianca got older, her vocal cords worsened. Talking with Pickler and Ben, she revealed that she had to go through multiple surgeries to correct her vocal cord complications. She also stated that it took her two full years to recover, and she even had hard times speaking and eating.
GoldDerby reported that she had to cancel her entire performance schedule because of that. Back in 2016, she had vocal and abdominal surgery as she was a high-risk candidate for esophageal cancer.
Her Return to AGT: The Champions
Winning the OG America’s Got Talent landed her a record deal with Simon Cowell, but her health issue left her no choice but to halt her career. However, after a full recovery, she returned to the stage of America’s Got Talent: The Champions in 2019.
At that time, she said,
“Coming back now at 24 after surgeries, I just wasn’t sure if Simon Cowell was gonna like my new voice after surgery.”
Her voice was praised highly, and Simon, Howie, Mel B, and Heidi all gave her standing ovations. But because of the votes, she was eliminated.
Where Is She Now?
Since her elimination, she is mostly away from the limelight. She does share some video clips on her Instagram and TikTok, but except for a few posts, all are from before 2022.
As an avid makeup lover, she has her own line of beauty products. She launched her lipstick line, Ciao Bianca, in December 2018, which has 23 shades.
