Biography
Who is Jackie Evancho?
Early life and background
Jackie Evancho was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 9, 2000. Her parents are Lisa and Michael Evancho, and she grew up in a Catholic family in a suburb of Pittsburgh. She has an older sister named Juliet, a younger brother named Zachary, and a younger sister named Rachel. Her father operated a video security business until 2010. She attended Pine-Richland High School and graduated in 2018, receiving online schooling at various times as her career developed.
As a young girl, she saw the film version of the musical The Phantom of the Opera and began singing the songs at home. Her parents did not realize her voice was unusual until her first talent competition, Kean Idol, which she entered just before her eighth birthday. She placed second in that contest and soon began taking voice lessons while singing at local events, churches, and nursing homes across Pennsylvania. She also sang in the Children's Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh during its 2008 to 2009 season and performed in a school musical version of Little Red Riding Hood.
Rise to fame on America's Got Talent
After two earlier unsuccessful auditions, Jackie entered the fifth season of NBC's America's Got Talent by placing first in a 2008 to 2010 online YouTube competition. In August 2010, she performed the aria "O mio babbino caro" in the quarter-final round, which drew significant attention and prompted live vocal demonstrations to prove she was not lip-synching. She advanced through the rounds by performing songs such as "Time to Say Goodbye" and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Pie Jesu".
During the season finale on September 14, 2010, she performed Gounod's "Ave Maria" and sang a duet with guest artist Sarah Brightman. She finished the competition in second place behind singer Michael Grimm. Up to sixteen million viewers watched these performances, making the finale the highest-rated episode of the show in three years. A week later, she appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show to perform and give her first late-night interview with Jay Leno.
Musical career and major releases
Record producer David Foster noticed Jackie in 2009 after she finished as a runner-up in his regional talent search. She released her independent debut album, Prelude to a Dream, in November 2009, featuring classical crossover covers. Her first major record label release was the Columbia Records EP O Holy Night in November 2010, which entered the Billboard 200 at number two and went platinum in the United States. This made her the youngest solo artist ever to achieve platinum status in the country.
Her second full-length album, Dream with Me, was released in June 2011 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. She followed these with additional albums including Songs from the Silver Screen, Awakening, Someday at Christmas, Two Hearts, The Debut, and Carousel of Time. In 2024, she released an EP titled Solla, featuring the singles "Behind My Eyes", "Get Out of My Life", and "Consequences". Throughout her career, she has performed at major venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Birthday and age
Jackie Evancho was born on April 9, 2000, which makes Jackie 26 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Jackie shares the date with 29 other famous people.
Explore more
