Jackie Evancho at Mayo PAC Thursday
Jackie Evancho owes a lot to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
When she was eight years old – all of seven years ago – Evancho saw the film version of the musical “Phantom of the Opera,” and she was smitten by Lloyd Webber’s score.
“I couldn’t stop singing those songs around the house,” said Evancho. “I wasn’t just singing the songs for Christine (the female lead). I loved all the songs.”
Soon, people outside the Evancho family were hearing young Jackie’s voice. She entered talent shows in and around her native Pittsburgh. The launch of her own YouTube channel brought further attention.
Taking a cue from “Phantom of the Opera,” Evancho showed she could handle the demands of classical music. She has since released a half-dozen CDs and appeared on PBS specials. At age 10 she finished second in the show “America’s Got Talent.”
But fans are about to see a different side of Evancho. Her latest singles reflect a shift to a sound that is close to pop.
That raises a question: Is Evancho a classical singer who is turning pop? Or is she a pop singer who happens to have a classical range?
Evancho’s own answer: Both. “I can do either,” she said. “It’s not really an either/or situation. It’s whatever I’m in the mood for. It’s the voice inside my head.”
When Evancho appears at the Mayo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 28, the audience can expect a program weighted toward the classical repertoire, but tinged with such pop songs as her cover of Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall.”
The idea of shifting to pop came about almost as an accident, according to Evancho. She was working on a recording with a friend when she decided to cut a demo.
“People in the studio listened to it said, ‘Wait, you mean you have a pop voice?’ It was something they didn’t expect,” she said.
Evancho traced her comfort with all types of music to her family, which includes an older sister and two younger siblings. “The whole family is musical,” she said. “Everyone plays instruments.”
“One thing I have is the courage to perform,” she said. With a laugh, she added, “My dad (Michael Evancho) has the courage but doesn’t have the voice.”
That courage almost deserted Jackie at her first talent show at age eight. “I was so nervous that time that I almost choked on my spit,” she said. (The song she sang: “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from “Phantom of the Opera.”)
Evancho began sending out video clips which eventually brought her to the attention of veteran producer David Foster, who invited her to participate in a concert at NJPAC in Newark in late 2009.
Twice Evancho auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” without success. However, in 2010, her first-place finish in the program’s YouTube competition earned her a spot on the program.
“That was super-exciting,” Evancho said. “What surprised me was how supportive everyone was backstage. You’d expect everyone would be so competitive. But instead, they were all cheering you on.”
In 2010, Evancho released “O Holy Night.” That EP made her the youngest Top Ten debut artist in U.S. history and the youngest solo American artist to go platinum.
For her upcoming album, Evancho is not only looking to expand to a pop sound, she is preparing to take on a new role: songwriter. “It’s something I’ve never done before, and I’m so excited about it,” she said.
Despite being in the spotlight for half her life, Evancho said she is still surprised by her career.
“I never expected to get as far as I have,” she said. “So many girls who are eight (years old) want to sing but don’t get the chance. It’s a great honor for me to be able to do what I’ve done.”
JACKIE EVANCHO
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, April 28
WHERE: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $59 to $129
INFO: 973-539-8008 or
www.mayoarts.org