Jackie Evancho balances stardom and childhood

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody

AP Music Writer

NEW YORK

When Jackie Evancho was a young girl — well, younger than her 11 years — she remembers singing songs such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” around the house and getting a response far less adoring than the ovations she now commands.

“My family thought I was horrible,” she says with a laugh, adding that things changed after her tonsils were removed.

Her father, Mike, has a decidedly different take. He and his wife, Lisa, always thought Jackie had a nice voice but didn’t think it was much more than that.

“We didn’t know it was anything special until she did a local talent competition,” he recalls of his daughter, the second eldest of four. “The reaction from people kind of said, ‘Hey, she might have a better voice than we thought.”’

Talk about an under-statement.

David Foster — who has worked with vocal powerhouses including Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Josh Groban and Celine Dion — says of Jackie’s voice: “I’ve never seen a mature voice like this in all my years. It’s just amazing.”

He’s not the only one who has been wowed. Though the classically inspired singer was the runner-up on “America’s Got Talent” last year, she’s been winning in every way since. Her Christmas EP, “O Holy Night,” went platinum after its release last fall, and her first official album, “Dream With Me,” debuted at No. 2, behind an Eminem collaboration, after its release earlier this month.

She’s had her own PBS special, Oprah Winfrey requested her presence on one of her final goodbye shows, and both Susan Boyle and Streisand appear on her new CD — and Jackie more than holds her own against the two powerhouse divas.

Jackie lives with her parents in the north suburbs of Pittsburgh.

Much like a preteen Charlotte Church did a decade ago, Jackie has a voice that belies her age and diminutive stature.

Though there is a youthful quality in Jackie’s voice, it’s hardly childlike: It’s a soprano that deftly traverses the musical scales with power and grace. Though she may not be ready for the operatic stage, she effortlessly sings songs such as “Nessun Dorma” and “Somewhere” (with Streisand) on her album debut.

Even when she’s singing the Disney classic “When You Wish Upon a Star,” she sounds light-years away from most of her childhood peers.