Jackie Evancho had one job on Inauguration Day: emerge from her national anthem performance unscathed.
All eyes were on Donald Trump on the inauguration stage Friday. But after Trump finished his speech, attention shifted to Evancho, as the 16-year-old singer delivered her much-publicized rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.
It was a make-or-break moment for the young performer, thrust into the headlines after Trump chose the relative unknown songstress to sing at his inauguration. Evancho is no stranger to performing on big stages; after placing second on America's Got Talent, she performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and at the White House.
All of her practice largely paid off on Friday, as Evancho powered through potential microphone issues and a shaky start to deliver an understated yet solid national anthem performance.
Whether it was her nerves or a faulty mic, her performance had a slow start, her voice wavering through the first verse. But she steadily grew more confident as she sang, hitting the high notes in her operatic head voice rather than attempting a pop star-style belt, avoiding the embarrassing crack that often accompanies stars' national anthem performances.
As a result, she didn't provide the same powerhouse vocals as Beyonce at the 2013 inauguration ceremony. But in many ways, Evancho's authentic-sounding take was the more successful strategy; she remembered all the words, didn't flub a note, and likely won't be dogged by the same lip-synching rumors that followed Bey's performance.
Trump approved, with new president calling out, "Great job, Jackie!" at the end of her performance.
While many of this year's inauguration performers have gone on the defensive, battling criticism around their choice to sing for Trump, Evancho's young age and diplomatic interviews with press have helped her weather the pushback. "It's an honor to perform for my country and I don't really do politics," she told USA TODAY about her decision to perform.
And thanks to her perfectly adequate performance at her highest-stakes appearance yet, Evancho will leave D.C. with her reputation intact, if not stronger than ever.
