There are a lot of talented people in this world, you just have to know where to find them. I’ve already told you about the dangers of YouTube and how it holds a destructive power for me. There is so much talent on that website alone, that I’m surprised it doesn’t crash the servers on a regular basis.
Ironically, that’s not where I found this next artist. My mom called me into the living room one night, while she was watching TV and eating dinner. (Don’t judge. And I didn’t leave her high and dry – I was studiously writing!)
“Wait!” she said, before I made it all the way over to her. I stopped. “Don’t look at the TV.”
“Okay,” I said, slapping my hand over my eyes. “What?”
“Listen. What do you hear?”
What I heard, though I didn’t know it at the time, was Jackie Evancho. It sounded like she was singing opera. It was definitely in another language. Her voice was rich, deep, and practiced. The voice of an older woman with years of experience, I thought.
Wrong.
Jackie Evancho is eleven years old. ELEVEN. This kid can sing. And I’m not talking about belting out runs like Christina Aguilera, which would be talent enough. No, this girl is a “classical crossover” artist, whatever the heck that means. To me, it means that she sounds far older than her years. People train their entire lives and they don’t have HALF the talent that Jackie has.
Isn’t that just incredible? This type of music isn’t usually my cup of tea, but Jackie’s voice in otherworldly. Here’s another great one:
She also appeared on America’s Got Talent, which may be where you recognize her name from. There are videos on YT of her time on there.
One more thing that I love about her – almost as much as her voice – is the wisdom and age in her eyes. She doesn’t act like a child, for better or worse. She’s calm, respectful, and very thoughtful for a little girl. I worry that she might be growing up too fast because of her talent, but I think it has more to do with just being an old soul.
I’m not one for cheesy lines and sappy moments, but can I just say that we’re incredibly lucky to share the earth with her. I can? Good. I’m not taking it back.
Some links:
Good. Don’t take it back. Cheesy and Sappy can be a ‘good thing’ .. in the right context. This was. Good post.
I wouldn’t take it back, even if I could! Thanks for stopping by.
Jackie has described herself as being “possessed by the music”.
Observers have said she appears to go into a “performance trance”.
Musicologists have said that she “Gets inside the music”.
Anyone who has seen her perform in person realizes that she in fact BECOMES the music.
I can see this just by watching the videos – I think that’s why she looks like such an old soul to me. I can’t even imagine how wonderful she would be in person!
Thank you Karen for blogging about Jackie Evancho.
You’re very welcome! The world needs to be aware of her talent, and I’m just trying to do my part.
Have you heard that Jackie will return to Celebrity Fight Night on March 24? Last year she made the host, Reba McIntyre, cry. The video is on youtube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g-HcINEkvY
Thank you for your support of our Piccola Leonessa Coraggiosa(Courageous Little Lioness).
Oh, that’s wonderful! Thanks for stopping in and letting me know.
At the risk of stating the obvious, I hope you have gotten a copy of Jackie’s CD “Dream With Me”.
Hi there! No, unfortunately I haven’t. I don’t own any of her CDs, actually. She’s an incredible talent though and I do enjoy listening to her. Thanks for stopping by.
Target has the Deluxe version of DWM which has 18 songs. The regular one has 14. Buy the Ext version which is just a few dollars more. Jackie is on tour in California now and will return to Pittsburgh in April to work on her next CD which will come out in the Fall.
How do you pronounce your name-Root, Rout, Rough?
It’s right on my About Me page.
You pronounce it exactly like you would “wrought” as in, “wrought iron.”
DWTS is on tonight and Katherine Jenkins is one of the top dancers. She sang a duet with Jackie in Nov 2010 when Jackie was just ten years old; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdjl5b6tlns
Hi Karen I lost your blog but someone posted it again. Hope you are enjoying Jackie’s new album. What song do you like best? For me it’s Come What May, blows the movie version out of the water! Jackie’s movie will be coming out early next year so watch for it!
Happy Holidays to you and your family.