Name Jaclyn Miskanic Role Singer Labels independent | Years active 2015–present Instruments Vocals, piano | |
Born May 5, 1996 (age 27) East Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. ( 1996-05-05 ) Albums Trap Pharaoh, Change The Record Parents Jill Miskanic, John Miskanic Genres Alternative rock, Pop music, Pop rock Similar People Rayvon Owen, Clark Beckham, Adanna Duru, Joey Cook, Qaasim Middleton Profiles | ||
Occupation(s) Singing, songwriter | ||
Jaclyn Cole Miskanic (born May 5, 1996), known professionally as Jax, is an American singer from East Brunswick, New Jersey. She finished third on the fourteenth season of American Idol, an American singing competition series.
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Early life
Jax was born in Atlantic Beach, New York, and raised there and in East Brunswick, New Jersey. She began singing at age 5. Her father is a firefighter, injured on duty during the September 11 attacks, and her mother is a New York City school teacher. In mid-2014, she studied at New York University in London, where she won the John Lennon Scholarship in songwriting via the BMI Foundation.
American Idol
Jax auditioned for the fourteenth season of American Idol, with the song "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles. She sang ”Toxic” by Britney Spears for her first solo audition during Hollywood Week. Jax sang The Beatles’ “Let It be” for her final solo performance. She was the only contestant out of 80 to be declared safe immediately after the performance. In April 2015, Jax became the New Jersey’s most successful American Idol contestant. In March 2015, she performed at the Filmore in Detroit, Michigan wearing #thedress. She performed Janis Joplin’s "Piece of My Heart" with Steven Tyler during the show’s season finale. Jax finished third in the competition, and her first single, "Forcefield", was released following the finale. In July 2015, Jax and the other top five American Idol contestants began the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2015. The tour began in Clearwater, Florida and is scheduled to end in Riverside, California. The top 3 all released a single each, the top 4 all released an extended play each, American Idol Season 14: Best of Jax - EP, and the season 14 top 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 all released a contribution each.
Post-Idol
Jax's first post-Idol recording, "La La Land", was released on January 6, 2016. Her first music video was released later that day, for "La La Land". The song is lyrically about her experience on American Idol, and how reality TV in general is not always what it seems.
In August 2016, Jax revealed that she was battling thyroid cancer.