Jackie Foster, the Poway High School graduate competing on the current season of NBC's "The Voice," has made the top eight in her run to become the show's next star.
Foster, who has been singing since she was 8 years old, made it past the last round of eliminations to become part of Season 14's "Elite 8."
"I couldn't be more thrilled, excited to be on such an amazing platform that supports artists, supports musicians, supports what we wanna do," Foster said. "I'm in the semi-finals right now, and that to me is mind-blowing."
On Monday, the "Team Alicia" singer will perform a medley of "Imagine Dragons" songs with her competitor from "Team Adam," Rayshun LaMarr. The episode airs at 8 p.m. on NBC 7.
NBC 7 had the chance to speak with Foster's former theater and voice coaches, who both said she's been a star in the making since she was a kid.
Foster's former theater coach Katie Wilson was so blown away when 8-year-old Jackie Foster auditioned for "Snow White" that she wrote her into the show.
Local
“We weren’t casting people her age in the show. But then she showed up with this presence and voice that was beyond anything you’d expect from an eight-year-old," Wilson said. "And just a radiance and a maturity that was unexpected. So I wrote a part for her in the show."
She added that Foster has "whatever that magical ‘it’ is.”
Her former voice coach Joni Wilson said she first met Foster when she was 13, and said the young teen "wanted to do it all, but deep down inside she was a rocker."
“This is a happy story. And if the world needs a good, solid, happy story, it’s Jackie,” Joni Wilson said.
Then, fans can vote for the duet online or by tweeting #JackieRayshunDuet. The next round of eliminations airs on NBC 7 at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Foster, 22, graduated from Poway High School and accepted a full-ride scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
"I love music. I always wanted to do it. But you grow up with these big dreams and you always hope that you will accomplish them but you never know if they will happen," Foster told NBC 7 during a visit in March.
Kaminski’s and friends are urging people to vote for Foster to show support for the Poway and greater San Diego community.
