Jaclyn Cole Miskanic (born May 5, 1996), better known by her stage name Jax, is an American singer-songwriter from East Brunswick, New Jersey who finished in 3rd place on season 14 on American Idol.
Background
Born in East Brunswick, New Jersey to John and Jill Miskanic, Jax has been singing since the age of 5 and, according to her parents, has been entertaining since she was small. Jax, who taught herself to play piano, grew up watching the show and dreamed of being on it but admits that she never pictured herself in this place right now. Jax and her younger brother, Matt Miskanic, were homeschooled all of their lives. And Jax says that Matt misses a lot of school because of American Idol.
American Idol
Jax performing
Jax auditioned for American Idol in January 2015. Jax auditioned with The Beatles' classic song, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". The judges, loving her unique voice, said that nobody sounded like her, and that she was the real thing. All judges gave her a yes to go to Hollywood. Hollywood Week, Part 1, Jax was first up to sing "Toxic" by Britney Spears. By many viewers, this was her best performance by far. Hollywood Week, Part 2 was Group Performance. Jax and her group, "Sal's Gals", were about to perform when contestant Alexis Granville passed out due to an anxiety attack right before. The next night, she felt better and they could perform. Jax and Alexis were the only two to move on from their group. Hollywood Week, Part 3, Jax performed another The Beatles classic, "Let It Be". Jax sang to her parents who were in the crowd watching. Some said that her performance was edgy, but others say differently. Showcase Week, Jax performed "You & I" by Lady Gaga. Jax's performance wasn't that good, with her inentional pause in the middle. The judges said that was a risk, but in the end, Jax moved on to the Top 24. Top 24, Jax performed Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". This is shown to be her best performance after "Toxic". For Top 16, Jax decided to jazz up the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". While the judges were mixed on her performance, Jax did attract attention on social media due to her wearing a certain dress that had caused a debate over whether it was black and blue or white and gold. Despite that, Jax made the top 12. For top 12, Jax reprised her audition song, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles. The judges loved her performance, which earned her a spot in the top 11. For "Get The Party Started" week, Jax sang the Taylor Swift hit "Blank Space". Despite mixed reviews from the judges, she made it to the next week. For "Songs from The Movies" week, Jax sang "Grow Old with You" by Adam Sandler from his movie The Wedding Singer. While Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez enjoyed her performance, Harry Connick, Jr. didn't seem to like it. However, despite that, Jax made it to the next week. During the Top 9, she performed "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi and advanced into to the Top 8. For Kelly Clarkson Week, she performed Kelly's "Beautiful Disaster", which resulted in her making the top 8. For Billboard Top 100 Hits week, Jax took on "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga and was voted into the Top 6. For the Top 6, she performed the Janis Joplin version of "Piece of My Heart" by Erma Franklin and "Beat It" by Michael Jackson, which helped her earn a spot on the American Idols Live tour. For "Arena Anthems" week, she took on "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"(she sang it as "Are You Gonna Be My Guy?")by Jet and "White Flag" by Dido. Her result the week after was safe. For the "Judge's Hometown" week she performed "Empire State of Mind" by Alicia Keys and her "Soul" performance was "Human" by Christina Perri. Those performances earned her a spot in the Top 3. The next week, Scott Borchetta's song choice for her to perform was "My Generation" by The Who. Later on that night, for the "Hometown Dedication" theme, she performed "My Immortal" by Evanescence. Her last performance of the night was the Judge's pick for her, which was "Misery Business" by Paramore. She was eliminated finishing in 3rd place on May 12, 2015.
Performances
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "I Want To Hold Your Hand" | The Beatles | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | A Capella | "Toxic" | Briteny Spears | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Drive By" | Train | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Solo | "Let It Be" | The Beatles | N/A | Advanced |
| Showcase Week | Personal Choice | "You & I" | Lady GaGa | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 | Contestant's Choice | "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down" | Nancy Sinatra | 11 | Advanced |
| Top 16 | Motown | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | Marvin Gaye | 7 | Advanced |
| Top 12 | Back to the Start | "I Want To Hold Your Hand" | The Beatles | 7 | Safe |
| Top 11 (first week) | Get the Party Started | "Blank Space" | Taylor Swift | 5 | Safe |
| Top 11 (second week) | Songs from the Movies | "Grow Old with You" | Adam Sandler | 10 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Tribute to the '80s | "You Give Love a Bad Name" | Bon Jovi | 5 | Safe |
| Top 8 | Kelly Clarkson | "Beautiful Disaster" | Kelly Clarkson | 2 | Safe |
| Top 7 | Billboard Hits | "Poker Face" | Lady GaGa | 1 | Safe |
| Top 6 | American Classics | "Piece Of My Heart" | Erma Franklin | 3 | Safe |
| "Beat It" | Michael Jackson | 11 | |||
| Top 5 | Arena Anthems | "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" | Jet | 1 | Safe |
| "White Flag" | Dido | 10 | |||
| Top 4 | Judge's Hometown/Soul | "Empire State of Mind" | Alicia Keys | 2 | Safe |
| "Human" | Christina Perri | 6 | |||
| Top 3 | Scott Borchetta's Choice/Judges' Choice/Hometown's Choice | "My Generation" | The Who | 3 | Eliminated |
| "My Immortal" | Evanescence | 6 | |||
| "Misery Business" | Paramore | 8 |
Post Idol
Jax was a part of the American Idols Live tour, which kicked on July 7, 2015 in Clearwater, Florida. Her first single is called "Forcefield". She is currently working on her first album. She released her new single, "La La Land", on January 6, 2016 with the song's music video, which featured cameos by former Idol alum like Daniel Seavey and Rayvon Owen, premiering on her YouTube channel the same day. Her debut EP, Funny, will be released on January 27, 2017.
Cancer diagnois
On August 8, 2016, Jax revealed in an interview with NJ 101.5 that she is battling Hashimoto's disease, a condition where the body's immune system attacks the thyroid. She said that she had her thyroid removed in April after finding that 12 out of 18 tumors discovered on her thyroid were cancerous. The tumors were all removed successfully, and she is now undergoing iodine treatments.
Personal Life
Jax confirmed on March 17, 2015 via Twitter that she was dating former season 14 contestant Riley Bria, but in a post via Instagram posted May 16, 2015, he confirmed that he and Jax had broken up.
Fans
Jax's fans are called the #JAXPack, and she frequently sends out her love and appreciation to them via Twitter and other forms of social media such as Instagram.
Trivia
- Jax is a Taco Bell fanatic and mentions her love for their food on Twitter.
Discography
EPs:
- Funny (2017)
Singles:
- "Forcefield" (2015)
- "La La Land" (2016)