Who Is JD McCrary? 10-Year-Old Performs With Childish Gambino At Grammys 2018

When Childish Gambino, who’s real name is Donald Glover, hit the stage at the 2018 Grammys to perform “Terrified” on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, he wasn’t alone. He was joined by 10-year-old JD McCrary, who contributed vocals on the Grammy stage, just like he did on the official recording on the track for Gambino’s album, “Awaken, My Love!”

The young singer was hand-picked to sing on the tune after auditioning with Michael Jackson’s “Who’s Loving You” and catching Gambino’s attention. The album came out at the end of 2016 and McCrary quickly started gaining attention for his feature, with him eventually landing the part of Young Simba in the upcoming live-action “The Lion King” remake, opposite Glover’s Simba.

This won’t be McCrary’s first time acting, though, as he’s been doing so since 2014 when he started in the video short “Second Chance” before moving on to the TV show “The Eric Andre Show” later that year. He’s also had roles on Disney Channel’s “K.C. Undercover,” which stars Zendaya, “Teachers,” “I’m Dying Up Here,” and more.

It seems like Gambino and McCrary have really bonded over the last couple years with their song and now their movie. It was a big deal for the 10-year-old to be given the chance to sing his featured portion of “Terrified” at the Grammys and be given the opportunity to truly shine at the end of the performance with his vocals taking the spotlight.