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Who is Jackie Romeo? NY singer tries out for 'The Voice' Season 25 after getting bullied over her weight

Jackie Romeo claims to be a huge admirer of 'The Voice' since it's all about the voice, not the appearance

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jackie Romeo, a 20-year-old from Massapequa, New York, earned two chair turns on NBC's 'The Voice' from John Legend and Dan + Shay.

The singer, who performed a cover of Miley Cyrus's 'Flowers', says she loves 'The Voice' because it doesn't matter how you look, but how you sound.

While reflecting on her musical path, Jackie acknowledged that she has long struggled with self-confidence and body acceptance.

"Around middle school, I started posting videos on social media and what comes with that is also hate comments. Instead of people commenting on me singing, they would be commenting on my weight. It hit me so hard [and] I retreated into a shell. I didn’t leave that shell until I was 17 years old," she explained.

"It wasn’t until I saw Lizzo for the first time that I saw someone who was bigger and just killing it. My whole worldview shifted; it gave me that confidence. I genuinely love what I look like … I’m a really big fan of The Voice because it doesn’t matter what you look like; it just matters how you sound. I was so excited to be able to have this opportunity because I feel so confident on the stage now. I used to be afraid of it, and now it’s like I belong here."

Which 'The Voice' Season 25 coach did Jackie Romeo pick?

"It’s always risky when you do a song by a singer that’s got such an iconic voice," John said.

"But what I loved was that it felt like it was just you. There’s this openness and roundness to your voice. I’d love to hear you just do more popular songs in that inflection because I think we could do some great things together on Team Legend."

Dan + Shay, the show's first-ever “double chair” coaches, tried to woo Jackie by complimenting her "vocal control" despite some evident, but quite normal anxieties.

"But you absolutely crushed that performance, and I think you'd be a great addition to Team Dan + Shay," commented Shay Mooney.

Dan Smyers said, "Your performance just kept getting better and better. Those long notes that you were holding—the high notes—were amazing. You’ve got an amazing voice."

In the end, she selected Team Legend.

"I thought Jackie did great," John stated.

"I loved the vibrato in her voice, the texture. I'm excited to work with her. Dan + Shay, they're upstarts; they're brand-new to the show, but I'll let them know I'm still the veteran here."

'The Voice' Season 25 singer Jackie Romeo froze during her first performance

Jackie has been singing for as long as she can remember, and when she was 13, she knew she wanted to make it a career; her mother enrolled her in Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth Performance Workshop. She was so frightened to sing that she couldn't move.

However, the experience taught her to be confident as a vocalist, and she is now fortunate enough to call Debbie her music mentor. She's sung on numerous venues since and was most recently honored to sing on the famed Apollo stage, reaching the semi-finals of their "Amateur Night" competition just before everything shut down due to the pandemic.

Shortly after, she won the "Music Inspires" contest held by WBLI and NYCB LIVE for a rendition of Bill Wither's "Lean on Me." In addition to producing songs, one of her favorite pastimes is recording covers and sharing them on her social media account, @jackieromeomusic.

She graduated from Massapequa High School and the Long Island High School of Performing Arts, and she is delighted to devote all of her time to creating, recording original music, and performing live.

'The Voice' Season 25 singer Jackie Romeo is inspired by Olivia Rodrigo and Lawrence

Jackie is a singer and songwriter from Long Island, New York. Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lawrence are among her favorite musicians and musical inspirations.

She also likes classic vocalists such as Nina Simone, Etta James, and Patsy Cline. Her songwriting heroes include Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, and Julia Michaels.

'The Voice' Season 25 airs on NBC at 8 pm ET on Mondays and Tuesdays. The latest episodes will be available on Peacock on demand the next day. The streaming site also includes entire episodes from the show's prior seasons.