Jacquie Lee, a 17 year old pop star from Colts Neck, New Jersey, was the runner up of Season Five of NBC's 'The Voice.' She now has her own EP and is on tour with Shawn Mendes. I was able to do a phone interview with Jacquie a couple days before Mendes' tour came to Miami, Florida.
So you're 17, from New Jersey, you were the runner-up in Season Five of 'The Voice,' and now you're on tour with Shawn Mendes. Is it crazy how fast everything has happened?
Jacquie: Yeah, I wasn't really expecting any of this to happen so fast but I'm rollin' with it (laughs).
Was it hard to decide which coach you were going to choose or did you already know who you would pick going into it?
Jacquie: I had no idea who I was gonna choose but I went with my gut in the moment, on stage, and it told me to pick Christina!
Did you learn a lot from Christina Aguilera as your coach?
Jacquie: Yeah I learned a lot about vocal techniques and how to breathe, she's really good at yoga (laughs).
Do you still keep in contact with Christina [Aguilera]?
Jacquie: I do keep in contact with her. She reaches out every now and then and she's been a really, really amazing supporter.
Do you think she was the right coach for you?
Jacquie: Um I KNOW she was the right coach for me. She just kind of understood where I was coming from and, I guess, everything that I was going through 'cause everything was happening so fast and just being a teenager (laughs). She really understood that.
What was the most important thing you learned from being on 'The Voice?'
Jacquie: The most important thing was just that you gotta try to follow your dreams or you're never gonna really know what could happen.
How did you first get started in singing?
Jacquie: Okay, well at first I started singing in the school choir and at coffe houses and then I joined a program, sort of like a School of Rock kind of thing, but I covered pretty much rock songs in a band for about three years and then I just auditioned for 'The Voice.'
Was 'The Voice' the first thing you auditioned for?
Jacquie: Actually no, I auditioned for the 'X Factor' when I was about 12 years old and they told me to come back when I didn't have braces (laughs).
Did you go back to the 'X Factor' to audition again?
Jacquie: No, I went to 'The Voice' years later, ya know, because it wasn't a great experience trying out for 'X Factor.' So I was kind of hesitant to try out for 'The Voice' when the opportunity came and, like I said, I guess the biggest lesson is that you should just keep going for things or you're never gonna know what the outcome might be and like, it's okay to fail (laughs).
Did your family support you when you said you wanted to go on 'The Voice?'
Jacquie: Believe it or not yes. I mean it's pretty scary, even now, just pursuing this as a career. It's a hard industry and nothing is guaranteed and a lot of people go through those "starving artist" phases. You know, all of my friends are going off to college, I'm a senior in high school, and I am pursuing this. So it's definitely really scary and it probably wouldn't be my parents' first choice but they are so supportive of me.
Do you write a lot of your own songs?
Jacquie: Yeah, I write a lot of my own music. Some of the songs on my EP I wrote. So yeah, it's just enjoyable, pretty therapeutic.
Do you have a favorite song on your EP? Why?
Jacquie: My favorite song on the EP... hmm it changes a lot. I would have to go with 'Tears Fall,' right now, it's just such a relatable song and I really am feeling the lyrics (laughs). I feel like a lot of people can relate to that song.
Okay, so let's talk about this tour that you're doing now with Shawn. How did you get into it?
Jacquie: Yeah! I opened for him before but my manager and his manager are very close and me and Shawn really hit it off. I'm just really lucky to get the opportunity.
Is this your first tour?
Jacquie: No, I actually went on 'The Voice' Tour and I did some dates for Jacob Whitesides and I also am on tour right now, this is actually my last day, with Kalin and Myles, so yeah, but it's still fairly new. It's still fresh to me.
What do you think people would be surprised to hear about the experience of being on tour?
Jacquie: I think they would be surprised to know that it's not as glamorous as one may think (laughs). You're always in need of a shower or some food that's not McDonald's. It's a lot of work but it also is a lot of fun. Once you get into the groove and the routine you've got it down.
Is it fun being on the road with Shawn? Do you guys hang out when you have free time (if free time is even an option for you)?
Jacquie: Well, we do hangout if we have time, he's a super nice guy. And on this tour we were actually thinking of working out together because he has a trainer on tour and his trainer was like, "You know, you can come to the gym." and I'm like, "Yeah, maybe." (laughs). I'm like dreading that but yeah. During free time we can maybe write some cool music together. He's just a really nice guy.
What do you think or hope the future has in store for you?
Jacquie: I mean, if I were to dream big I would want to be on a world tour of my own and, I guess, the main goal is to be happy.
Are there any other things you want to cover?
Jacquie: Just that my new single 'Tears Fall' is out and I'm really excited for people to see the music video that's coming out.
Find more on Jacquie Lee here:
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Jacquie: Yeah, I wasn't really expecting any of this to happen so fast but I'm rollin' with it (laughs).
Was it hard to decide which coach you were going to choose or did you already know who you would pick going into it?
Jacquie: I had no idea who I was gonna choose but I went with my gut in the moment, on stage, and it told me to pick Christina!
Did you learn a lot from Christina Aguilera as your coach?
Jacquie: Yeah I learned a lot about vocal techniques and how to breathe, she's really good at yoga (laughs).
Do you still keep in contact with Christina [Aguilera]?
Jacquie: I do keep in contact with her. She reaches out every now and then and she's been a really, really amazing supporter.
Do you think she was the right coach for you?
Jacquie: Um I KNOW she was the right coach for me. She just kind of understood where I was coming from and, I guess, everything that I was going through 'cause everything was happening so fast and just being a teenager (laughs). She really understood that.
What was the most important thing you learned from being on 'The Voice?'
Jacquie: The most important thing was just that you gotta try to follow your dreams or you're never gonna really know what could happen.
How did you first get started in singing?
Jacquie: Okay, well at first I started singing in the school choir and at coffe houses and then I joined a program, sort of like a School of Rock kind of thing, but I covered pretty much rock songs in a band for about three years and then I just auditioned for 'The Voice.'
Was 'The Voice' the first thing you auditioned for?
Jacquie: Actually no, I auditioned for the 'X Factor' when I was about 12 years old and they told me to come back when I didn't have braces (laughs).
Did you go back to the 'X Factor' to audition again?
Jacquie: No, I went to 'The Voice' years later, ya know, because it wasn't a great experience trying out for 'X Factor.' So I was kind of hesitant to try out for 'The Voice' when the opportunity came and, like I said, I guess the biggest lesson is that you should just keep going for things or you're never gonna know what the outcome might be and like, it's okay to fail (laughs).
Did your family support you when you said you wanted to go on 'The Voice?'
Jacquie: Believe it or not yes. I mean it's pretty scary, even now, just pursuing this as a career. It's a hard industry and nothing is guaranteed and a lot of people go through those "starving artist" phases. You know, all of my friends are going off to college, I'm a senior in high school, and I am pursuing this. So it's definitely really scary and it probably wouldn't be my parents' first choice but they are so supportive of me.
Do you write a lot of your own songs?
Jacquie: Yeah, I write a lot of my own music. Some of the songs on my EP I wrote. So yeah, it's just enjoyable, pretty therapeutic.
Do you have a favorite song on your EP? Why?
Jacquie: My favorite song on the EP... hmm it changes a lot. I would have to go with 'Tears Fall,' right now, it's just such a relatable song and I really am feeling the lyrics (laughs). I feel like a lot of people can relate to that song.
Okay, so let's talk about this tour that you're doing now with Shawn. How did you get into it?
Jacquie: Yeah! I opened for him before but my manager and his manager are very close and me and Shawn really hit it off. I'm just really lucky to get the opportunity.
Is this your first tour?
Jacquie: No, I actually went on 'The Voice' Tour and I did some dates for Jacob Whitesides and I also am on tour right now, this is actually my last day, with Kalin and Myles, so yeah, but it's still fairly new. It's still fresh to me.
What do you think people would be surprised to hear about the experience of being on tour?
Jacquie: I think they would be surprised to know that it's not as glamorous as one may think (laughs). You're always in need of a shower or some food that's not McDonald's. It's a lot of work but it also is a lot of fun. Once you get into the groove and the routine you've got it down.
Is it fun being on the road with Shawn? Do you guys hang out when you have free time (if free time is even an option for you)?
Jacquie: Well, we do hangout if we have time, he's a super nice guy. And on this tour we were actually thinking of working out together because he has a trainer on tour and his trainer was like, "You know, you can come to the gym." and I'm like, "Yeah, maybe." (laughs). I'm like dreading that but yeah. During free time we can maybe write some cool music together. He's just a really nice guy.
What do you think or hope the future has in store for you?
Jacquie: I mean, if I were to dream big I would want to be on a world tour of my own and, I guess, the main goal is to be happy.
Are there any other things you want to cover?
Jacquie: Just that my new single 'Tears Fall' is out and I'm really excited for people to see the music video that's coming out.
Find more on Jacquie Lee here:
Twitter Instagram Tumblr Facebook YouTube Broken Ones - EP