Jackie Evancho Biography

Jackie Evancho was born April 9, 2000 and started singing since she was just eight years old. She found her interest in music after watching musical "The Phantom of the Opera". She later competed in a local singing contest in his native Pennsylvania, winning the runner-up place. Living in the suburb area of Pittsburg, she then took vocal lessons, took part in other contests to enrich her experience and uploaded her rendition of music on YouTube.

In 2009, Jackie released an indie album called "Prelude to a Dream" which covered songs from the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Martina McBride. It debuted at No. 2 on iTunes and Billboard Classical Albums Chart.

A year later, Jackie entered "America's Got Talent" after winning the YouTube competition sponsored by the TV show. She received the most votes from fans to be advanced to the next round and continued to become one of the audience favorites until the finale. Making a duet with Sarah Brightman in "Time to Say Goodbye" and singing solo in "Ave Maria", she finished at the second place.

Following her win as the runner-up on "AGT", Jackie signed a record deal with Columbia Records. She dropped a mini album called "O Holy Night" in October 2010. It was ranked the first on Amazon's bestseller pre-order list and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Classical chart. Also, it landed at No. 2 on Hot 200, making her the youngest female solo artist to debut in the top 10.

When the EP was released, her indie album was withdrawn from the market. "Because the CD was recorded about a year and half ago and her current voice no longer sounds like what it did then [due to vocal maturity...], we decided to withdraw 'Prelude to a Dream' and will be concentrating on new material as part of her progress," so it was explained.

Following the success of her debut EP, Jackie's second full-length album, "Dream with Me", was released on June 14, 2011. Produced by David Foster, the record features duets with Barbra Streisand and "Britain's Got Talent" runner-up Susan Boyle, as well as twelve solo tracks. The set debuted at No. 2 on Billboard 200 chart, peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Classical Album chart and was later certified gold by the RIAA. "Dream with Me" also performed well internationally as she became the youngest artist ever to debut in the U.K.'s top 5 album chart.

Jackie promoted the album on talk shows on every major U.S. network and concerts in the U.S., London and Toronto. She even recorded a solo concert television for the 2011 PBS "Great Performances" series that included nearly the same songs on the album. Titled "Dream With Me in Concert", the program became the most broadcast program of the year on the PBS network, making Jackie the youngest person ever to have a special on the series. Additionally, it became one of the most viewed specials in the 38-year-history of the series and raised record amounts of money for PBS stations. She later released a CD/DVD set of the concert, which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Music Video chart.

In July 2011, Jackie embarked on her first solo tour across the U.S. to promote the album. It consisted of 18 performances with symphony orchestra, including her New York City concert at Avery Fisher Hall. In November, she released her first Christmas album, "Heavenly Christmas", with 12 songs in total. Produced by Rob Mounsey, the record features some traditional Christmas carols like "The First Noel" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem". The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Classical Albums chart, while it peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In February 2012, Jackie performed "To Believe" and "The Lord's Prayer" before President Barack Obama and thousands of leaders as well as dignitaries from around the world at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. In June, she sang in Russia at the opening ceremonies of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, together with Dmitry Hvorostovsky and Sumi Jo.

She released her fourth album "Songs from the Silver Screen" on October 2, 2012. The album is composed of 12 songs used in popular films such as "Pure Imagination" from "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" and "I See the Light" from "Tangled". Arranged by Bill Ross, the set debuted at No. 7 on Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on Billboard's Classical Albums chart. She promoted the album with television appearances and a concert tour, which ran from August 2012 to June 2014.

In 2014, Jackie released her fifth album "Awakening". She unleashed two singles, covers of "The Rains of Castamere" from "Game of Thrones" and "Think of Me" from "The Phantom of the Opera", in advance of the album's release. Laced with 12 songs in total, the set became Jackie's fifth consecutive No. 1 album on Billboard's Classical Albums chart.

Her sixth studio album and third holiday collection, "Someday at Christmas", was released on October 28, 2016. The record features nine previously-released tracks, including collaborations with Placido Domingo, Peter Hollens and Vittorio Grigolo, as well as three new tracks such as the title track and two versions of "The Little Drummer Boy".

Jackie made a controversial decision as she agreed to perform U.S. national anthem at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration after many other singers like Elton John and Andrea Bocelli turned down the opportunity. Though she said that her decision to perform was apolitical, it still drew some negative comments on social media especially she has a transgender sister.

In early 2017, Jackie signed a new record deal with Sony. She's currently gearing up to release her seventh effort "Two Hearts", which is set to be unleashed on March 31. "Two Hearts" is a two-disc album, consisting of a classical crossover disc with 10 tracks and a pop music EP with 5 tracks, including four songs on which she have a songwriting credit.