ALL GROWN UP
Kid ‘Idol’ sensation now touts ‘adult’ album
Jackie Evancho isn’t a kid anymore.
The powerhouse vocalist who shot to fame as a 10-year-old finalist on “America’s Got Talent” and later sang at President Trump’s inauguration at 16 — a performance she now regrets — recently celebrated her 19th birthday and is releasing her first album as an adult, “The Debut,” on Friday.
She’s eager to be recognized as more than just a young performer with a big voice.
“This is the first album where I was actually able to speak my mind, and people listened,” Evancho tells the Daily News. “You’ll be able to see a bit of my ideas as an artist, rather than just a singer.
“I spoke my mind a lot (in the past),” she adds. “But no one really wants to take a 10-year-old seriously.”
The album is a departure from the classical crossover music she became known for in her youth. “The Debut” is comprised of Broadway numbers, each of which Evancho selected herself and put her own spin on.
“I really want to know what else my voice can do,” she explained. “I knew I could sing when I was 10, but I didn’t know what else my voice could do. It developed into different things and I found out that I have a pop voice now. Really, I don’t want to limit myself to one specific genre.”
Evancho, who hails from Pittsburgh, grew up in the spotlight. She’s churned out at least one album every two years since her first in 2009 and regularly hits the road for live performances.
Going through childhood in the public eye had its pros and cons, says Evancho, who acknowledges there are “crazy people in the world” with bad intentions. But she also relished the opportunity to see the world in a way that most kids don’t get to.
It helped her deal with the backlash that came after singing the national anthem at Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. More than two years later, she’s still disappointed it didn’t bring the outcome she was hoping for. Evancho, whose older sister, Juliet, is transgender, was vocal about her desire to discuss transgender rights in America with Trump following the inauguration, but that meeting never came.
“I didn’t expect what kind of president he would be and, with me being very proLGBTQ, I was hoping to maybe have an in and get to talk to him about our future in America in terms of that, and unfortunately it didn’t work out that way, which kind of sucks,” Evancho said. “Yeah, I guess there’s a little regret.”
Evancho is set to perform at the famed Feinstein’s/54 Below in on April 23 in support of her new album. She’s already sold out the Midtown venue, which she describes as a “pretty cool” experience.
She’s embracing her career as an adult and the opportunity to prove herself.
“It’s easier because you get a lot more respect as an adult artist, but it’s also more difficult because you have to prove yourself more,” Evancho said.
“You don’t have the gimmick of the little girl who can sing. But I kind of like a challenge, so I love to just step on a stage and show everyone, ‘Yeah, I can still sing. But I’m actually an artist, too.’ ”