A singer who made it all the way to the finale of “The Voice” as a 16-year-old is now advancing through the competition on “American Idol” — but she’s not getting much airtime.
Jacquie Lee advances to ‘American Idol’ top 30
It’s been 12 years since Jacquie Lee made an impressive run on “The Voice” that started with a performance of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” that landed her on Christina Aguilera’s team.
The then-teenager from New Jersey ended up becoming the Season 5 runner-up, behind Jamaican artist Tessanne Chin.
Now, after more than a decade of releasing EPs, Lee is once again in the reality singing competition space.
The singer tried out for this season of “American Idol” with a jazz-infused rendition of “I Put a Spell on You” — a song she also performed during her time on “The Voice.”
“American Idol” didn’t air the full audition, but showed Lee receiving a golden ticket to the Hollywood round.
“You have a bring-the-house-down voice,” “Idol” judge Lionel Richie said. “I’m already standing up. It’s a yes for me.”
Lee’s next performance came Monday night during the Hollywood Week round — but viewers didn’t get to see it.
After a truncated “Idol” audition, Lee’s Hollywood Week performance was cut from the episode.
Although “Idol” hasn’t showed much of Lee’s time on the show, the singer has officially made it to the top 30.
Lee now moves on to the next round of the competition, which airs March 9. The episode was filmed in Hawaii and whittles the competition down to a top 20.
Who is former ‘The Voice’ star Jacquie Lee?
Lee stayed on Aguilera’s team throughout her entire run on Season 5 of “The Voice” back in 2013.
Performances throughout her time on the show included Serena Ryder’s “Stompa”; Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”; and, for her live finale performance, a powerhouse rendition of Jennifer Holliday’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Since her time on “The Voice,” Lee has released several EPs. In 2021, she provided the singing voice of Polly Cooper in a musical episode of the hit TV show “Riverdale.”
Lee recently submitted an entry for NPR’s 2026 Tiny Desk contest.
‘The Voice’/’American Idol’ crossover
“American Idol” allowing Lee, a “Voice” runner-up, to compete this season drew some backlash from fans, as Wide Open Country reported.
But this is far from the first time there’s been a crossover between “The Voice” and “American Idol.”
This season alone featured contestant Mor Ilderton, another former “Voice” singer who unexpectedly dropped out of “The Voice” competition just a year and a half ago, as the Deseret News reported.
The previous season of “Idol” featured Thunderstorm Artis, who finished third on “The Voice” in 2020; and Victor Solomon, who was a “Voice” finalist in 2021.
Solomon previously spoke with the Deseret News about his decision to compete on “Idol” after appearing on “The Voice,” sharing how hard it can be to maintain the momentum from a reality competition show.
“You go from millions of viewers like every week and then all of a sudden … I don’t want to say nobody’s watching, you have your followers, but it’s nowhere near close to 6 million viewers every week,” Solomon previously told the Deseret News.
“That’s the work that comes with it, you know, keeping your name alive, keeping your presence alive, and keeping your music alive.”