Inaugural not about politics for Jackie Evancho
Sixteen-year-old is riding a wave of attention
16-year-old singer answers our questions
If you’ve been anywhere on social media in the past month, you’ve undoubtedly seen the name “Jackie Evancho.”
The 16-year-old classical singer (and America’s Got
Talent alum) was hit by a tidal wave of attention when it was announced that she will perform the national anthem at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration Friday. Though many were supportive of the soft-spoken teen — contributing to a minor sales spike during the holidays — others criticized her decision to sing for the outspoken presidentelect, especially considering that her sister, 18-year-old Juliet Evancho, is transgender.
Evancho, who will release a still-untitled new album this spring, caught up with USA TODAY to discuss the inauguration and the response she has gotten on social media.
Q You
performed for Donald Trump once before (at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2011). What do you remember about him?
A He was actually very polite, grateful that I was there to perform. It was a great experience.
Q Despite
all the controversy around his election and politics, why did you decide to perform at his inauguration?
A Because it’s an honor to perform for my country, and I don’t really do politics. So I don’t let that stand in between an honor to perform for the country.
QI understand that your sister won’t be attending. Will the rest of your family be there?
A Everyone except for my sister and my mom will be attending, yeah.
Q How did your sister react to the news that you’ll be performing, given Mike Pence’s track record with opposing LGBTQ rights?
A She was very supportive of me because she views it the exact same way that I do. It’s not exactly about the politics of the event, it’s about the honor.
Q How
do you cope with the hateful messages you’ve received on social media? Are you able to block them out?
A Yeah, for the most part. There’s nothing else you can do. My family and I just kind of ignore it as if it wasn’t there.
Q Was there one particular note that ever really got to you or made you take a step back from social media?
A No,
there are a million different opinions out there. People are always going to state it, whether it’s hateful or not. And that’s no reason to back out of anything or shut down anything, unless you really need a break from it all. But I don’t really need a break from it, because I don’t pay much attention to it.
Q Your
sister has similarly gotten backlash as she has advocated against trans discrimination. Has this experience brought you closer?
A It has, and we’ve always been very close, but just to kind of put up with stuff like that brings our family closer.
Q Is there another milestone you’d like to check off after this?
A Well,
actually, because I’ve performed for (President Obama) and I will be performing for our next, I’m thinking it might be fun to try to perform for as many presidents as possible. That’d be fun.