# Jackie Evancho
**Jackie Evancho** (born 2000 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American classical crossover soprano who rose to international attention at age 10 as runner-up on the fifth season of *America's Got Talent* in 2010 and became the youngest female solo artist to debut that high on the Billboard 200 in the SoundScan era (period since 1991, when Nielsen tracked actual US record sales)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jackie-evancho-mn0002532572) • [2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soprano-prodigy-jackie-evancho-becomes-2010s-top-selling-debut-artist-as-o-holy-night-her-first-major-label-release-enters-the-billboard-200-at-2-110348749.html). She later broadened her repertoire from classical and holiday material toward Broadway song, [Joni Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/joni-mitchell) covers, and self-written pop, and she appeared in television and film.[3](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/jackie-evancho/634029)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2000, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jackie-evancho-mn0002532572) |
| Breakthrough | Runner-up, *America's Got Talent* season 5, 2010, at age 10, with a performance of Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro"[4](https://www.thewrap.com/americas-got-talent-gets-it-right-crowns-jackie-evancho-runner-20914/) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-jackie-evancho-20100831-story.html) |
| First major release | *O Holy Night* EP entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2 in November 2010 with first-week sales of 239,000[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soprano-prodigy-jackie-evancho-becomes-2010s-top-selling-debut-artist-as-o-holy-night-her-first-major-label-release-enters-the-billboard-200-at-2-110348749.html) |
| Sales record | *O Holy Night* certified Platinum (1,000,000 US copies, RIAA, December 10, 2010); total counted sales 1,080,000 including Canada[6](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/20407) |
| Chart record | Five No. 1 albums on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart by 2015; (*Dream With Me*, peak No. 4 on the Official Albums Chart)[7](https://www.browardcenter.org/assets/doc/Jackie-Evanch_031915.pdf) • [8](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/6983/jackie-evancho/) |
| Television | Sang the national anthem at Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2017; unmasked as the Kitty on *The Masked Singer* season 3 (2020), finishing fifth[9](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/jackie-evancho-and-the-politics-of-childhood) • [10](https://agt.fandom.com/wiki/Jackie_Evancho) |
| Recent work | Pop EP *Solla* (May 2024) and the duet single "Love Is the Answer" with Dan Seals (2026)[11](https://www.clickondetroit.com/live-in-the-d/2024/05/07/agt-sensation-jackie-evancho-shares-new-music-and-growth-as-an-artist/) • [12](https://www.thejustinreedshow.com/interviews/jackie-evancho-02232026) |
## America's Got Talent
Evancho's public career began through the YouTube audition round the show's producers instituted in season 5, from which judges selected eleven performers for a special elimination round[9](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/jackie-evancho-and-the-politics-of-childhood). Her televised performance of Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" from *Gianni Schicchi* drew national attention, and viewers on the internet accused her of lip-syncing; on the following results show, judge [Howie Mandel](https://www.edgepedia.org/howie-mandel) asked her to sing a few notes alone to demonstrate the voice was hers[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-jackie-evancho-20100831-story.html). The show's American producer, Fremantle Media, said it did not use pitch-altering devices on any part of the program[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-jackie-evancho-20100831-story.html). She was named runner-up on September 16, 2010, and joined the show's first nationwide tour that autumn[4](https://www.thewrap.com/americas-got-talent-gets-it-right-crowns-jackie-evancho-runner-20914/) • [13](https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2010/09/11/jackie-evancho-to-be-part-of-america-s-got-talent-tour/stories/201009110183).
## Recording career
Evancho had begun taking vocal lessons in 2008 at age eight, also studying violin and piano, and in 2009 released an independent debut album, *Prelude to a Dream*, a set of fourteen classical crossover covers including [Josh Groban](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-groban)'s "To Where You Are" and [Don McLean](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-mclean)'s "Starry Starry Night (Vincent)"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jackie-evancho-mn0002532572) • [14](https://www.allmusic.com/album/prelude-to-a-dream-mw0002040982). After *America's Got Talent*, Columbia Records signed her, and the holiday EP *O Holy Night* entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and the Billboard Classical chart at No. 1, making her 2010's top-selling debut artist and the youngest female solo artist to debut that high in the SoundScan era[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soprano-prodigy-jackie-evancho-becomes-2010s-top-selling-debut-artist-as-o-holy-night-her-first-major-label-release-enters-the-billboard-200-at-2-110348749.html).
**The Columbia years.** *Dream With Me* (June 2011), her first full studio album, reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the classical chart; it included guest appearances by [Barbra Streisand](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbra-streisand) and [Susan Boyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/susan-boyle)[15](https://www.wbur.org/npr/136336310/jackie-evancho-tiny-desk-concert?f=136336310&ft=3). In the UK it peaked at No. 4 on the Official Albums Chart[8](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/6983/jackie-evancho/). *Heavenly Christmas*, released in late 2011 exclusively through Walmart, became her fourth consecutive release to open at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart[16](https://www.thelist.com/206075/whatever-happened-to-jackie-evancho-from-americas-got-talent/). *Songs from the Silver Screen* followed in 2012[16](https://www.thelist.com/206075/whatever-happened-to-jackie-evancho-from-americas-got-talent/).
**Maturity and label moves.** *Awakening* (September 2015) was her first album under the Sony Music Masterworks imprint Portrait, and it gave her a fifth No. 1 on Billboard's Classical Crossover Albums chart while reaching No. 17 on the Billboard 200[7](https://www.browardcenter.org/assets/doc/Jackie-Evanch_031915.pdf). The two-part *Two Hearts* (2017) paired a classical crossover album with a second disc of five pop-oriented originals, four of them co-written by Evancho[3](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/jackie-evancho/634029). *The Debut* (2019) collected songs from Broadway shows including *Hamilton*, *The Greatest Showman*, and *Waitress*[3](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/jackie-evancho/634029).
**Songwriting and pop.** During the pandemic she began writing songs, and the 2022 album *Carousel of Time*, her ninth studio album, paid tribute to Joni Mitchell with covers spanning "Both Sides Now," "A Case of You," "Blue," and "River"[17](https://www.ccmusic.com/jackie-evancho-carousel-of-time/196925249591) • [18](https://www.thebanner.org/mixed-media/2022/12/carousel-of-time). In May 2024 she released the six-track EP *Solla*, led by the self-penned single "Behind My Eyes," which she described as addressing her mental health struggles in an upbeat, 1980s-flavored arrangement; she has said performing anonymously on *The Masked Singer* helped her discover her pop voice[11](https://www.clickondetroit.com/live-in-the-d/2024/05/07/agt-sensation-jackie-evancho-shares-new-music-and-growth-as-an-artist/) • [19](https://www.klake.com/jackie-evancho-is-ready-to-embrace-the-older-me-with-musical-transformation/). In February 2026 she promoted a duet with [Dan Seals](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-seals), "Love Is the Answer," from an upcoming duets album[12](https://www.thejustinreedshow.com/interviews/jackie-evancho-02232026).
## Public appearances
Evancho performed patriotic material at official Washington ceremonies during the Obama administration, including "God Bless America" at the 2016 Independence Day celebration on the [National Mall](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-mall) and the 2010 National Christmas Tree lighting[20](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/14/why-jackie-evancho-is-an-obvious-choice-to-sing-the-national-anthem-at-the-trump-inauguration/). In December 2016 she became the first performer announced for Donald Trump's January 2017 inauguration, singing the national anthem; a *New Yorker* essay noted that her sister is transgender and that Evancho said the performance had no connection to polarized politics[9](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/jackie-evancho-and-the-politics-of-childhood).
Her screen appearances include the 2013 thriller *[The Company You Keep](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-company-you-keep-film)* and concert films such as *Awakening: Live in Concert* (2015)[21](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621251629). In 2020 she competed as the Kitty on season 3 of *The Masked Singer*, finishing in fifth place[10](https://agt.fandom.com/wiki/Jackie_Evancho).
## Reception
Reviewers have generally treated her voice as the strongest element of her artistry while criticizing interpretive depth. The [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-chronicle)'s Joshua Kosman, writing after a 2012 Davies Symphony Hall concert, described "a rich, throaty alto of astonishing heft" from an eleven-year-old performer, but argued that no child could fairly be judged as a finished artist[22](https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/jackie-evancho-review-the-kid-can-sing-3439181.php). A 2015 Washington Post review of her Strathmore concert praised a "bell-like" and "pure" tone that drew repeated standing ovations, while faulting unsupported high notes and what the reviewer called a refusal to engage emotionally with her material[23](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/jackie-evancho-with-a-bell-like-voice-elicits-numerous-ovations/2015/10/11/db1ff79c-6fce-11e5-91eb-27ad15c2b723_story.html). A 2016 Times Union review found the programming of Puccini arias alongside Coldplay's "Fix You" unconvincing and called her "a machine for beautiful notes"[24](https://www.timesunion.com/preview/article/Review-Evancho-sparkles-alas-with-little-emotion-10638389.php).
Her fan base has been described as older than a typical teen-pop audience; a 2012 Los Angeles Times commentary reported, anecdotally, that her buyers belonged to the middle-aged audience that purchases classical crossover records[25](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-feb-19-la-ca-jackie-evancho-20120219-story.html). Voice teachers quoted in a 2010 Los Angeles Times analysis of her technique raised a caution specific to child singers: lowering the larynx to imitate an operatic sound and an audible register break suggested she was not strengthening all registers equally, and improper development of a young voice can cause lasting damage[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-jackie-evancho-20100831-story.html).
## References
1. [Jackie Evancho biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jackie-evancho-mn0002532572)
2. [Soprano Prodigy Jackie Evancho Becomes 2010's Top-Selling Debut Artist, PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soprano-prodigy-jackie-evancho-becomes-2010s-top-selling-debut-artist-as-o-holy-night-her-first-major-label-release-enters-the-billboard-200-at-2-110348749.html)
3. [Jackie Evancho discography, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/jackie-evancho/634029)
4. ['America's Got Talent' Gets It Right, Crowns Jackie Evancho Runner-Up, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/americas-got-talent-gets-it-right-crowns-jackie-evancho-runner-20914/)
5. [Jackie Evancho's voice strikes a chord, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-jackie-evancho-20100831-story.html)
6. [O Holy Night by Jackie Evancho, Sales & Charts, BestSellingAlbums.org](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/20407)
7. [Jackie Evancho Performs at the Broward Center, press release, March 18, 2015](https://www.browardcenter.org/assets/doc/Jackie-Evanch_031915.pdf)
8. [Jackie Evancho full Official Chart history, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/6983/jackie-evancho/)
9. [Jackie Evancho, Trump's Inauguration, and the Politics of Childhood, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/jackie-evancho-and-the-politics-of-childhood)
10. [Jackie Evancho, America's Got Talent Wiki](https://agt.fandom.com/wiki/Jackie_Evancho)
11. ['AGT' sensation Jackie Evancho shares new music and growth as an artist, ClickOnDetroit](https://www.clickondetroit.com/live-in-the-d/2024/05/07/agt-sensation-jackie-evancho-shares-new-music-and-growth-as-an-artist/)
12. [Jackie Evancho, The Justin Reed Show, February 23, 2026](https://www.thejustinreedshow.com/interviews/jackie-evancho-02232026)
13. [Jackie Evancho to be part of 'America's Got Talent' tour, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2010/09/11/jackie-evancho-to-be-part-of-america-s-got-talent-tour/stories/201009110183)
14. [Prelude to a Dream, AllMusic album review](https://www.allmusic.com/album/prelude-to-a-dream-mw0002040982)
15. [Jackie Evancho: Tiny Desk Concert, WBUR/NPR](https://www.wbur.org/npr/136336310/jackie-evancho-tiny-desk-concert?f=136336310&ft=3)
16. [Whatever Happened To Jackie Evancho From America's Got Talent?, The List](https://www.thelist.com/206075/whatever-happened-to-jackie-evancho-from-americas-got-talent/)
17. [Jackie Evancho, Carousel of Time, CC Music](https://www.ccmusic.com/jackie-evancho-carousel-of-time/196925249591)
18. [Carousel of Time, The Banner](https://www.thebanner.org/mixed-media/2022/12/carousel-of-time)
19. [Jackie Evancho is ready to "embrace the older me," ABC Audio via 97.5 K-LAKE](https://www.klake.com/jackie-evancho-is-ready-to-embrace-the-older-me-with-musical-transformation/)
20. [Why Jackie Evancho is an obvious choice to sing the national anthem, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/14/why-jackie-evancho-is-an-obvious-choice-to-sing-the-national-anthem-at-the-trump-inauguration/)
21. [Jackie Evancho, Apple Snapshot (Music & Movies)](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621251629)
22. [Jackie Evancho review: The kid can sing, by Joshua Kosman, SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/jackie-evancho-review-the-kid-can-sing-3439181.php)
23. [Jackie Evancho, with a bell-like voice, elicits numerous ovations, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/jackie-evancho-with-a-bell-like-voice-elicits-numerous-ovations/2015/10/11/db1ff79c-6fce-11e5-91eb-27ad15c2b723_story.html)
24. [Review: Evancho sparkles, alas with little emotion, Times Union](https://www.timesunion.com/preview/article/Review-Evancho-sparkles-alas-with-little-emotion-10638389.php)
25. [Commentary: What's in store for Jackie Evancho?, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-feb-19-la-ca-jackie-evancho-20120219-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Opera and classical vocal soloists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license