By Ainsley Webb

Making it big by singing on stage is something many people want to do, but they only see it  as a dream. For Lincoln freshman Jesse Zuckerman, it’s not a dream, but real life and hard work.

“I’ve sung since the age of five,” says Zuckerman. She dedicated herself to singing and explored many songs to see what songs best fit her voice. As the years went on her voice grew stronger and stronger.

In recent years Zuckerman grew fond of artist Billie Eilish. In fact, Zuckerman usually only sings Billie Eilish songs, like “When the Party’s Over,” and “Come Out and Play,” which she just sang a cover of and posted on her Instagram.

Zuckerman is also working on her first album called “Paint A Picture For Me.” She likes singing Eilish’s songs because she can relate to her. Eilish has gone through struggles with Tourette syndrome and depression, which Zuckerman can relate to because of her struggles with ADHD and anxiety.

“I started to sing because I had a lot of anxiety and struggles with my ADHD,” says Zuckerman, adding that when she sings, it seems like all her troubles go away.

Zuckerman practices singing almost everyday. She does vocal lessons to improve. But with practicing everyday, sometimes she doesn’t have time to do homework.

“Sometimes you just have to do it [homework] even though you don’t want to do it,” says Zuckerman. She tries to balance school with her singing by taking every chance she has to do her homework, for example during breaks, FLEX and lunch time.

Zuckerman’s dreams are to create an organization for mental health and to sing at the Moda Center. She wants to be able to hear all the cheering of her fans and be able to touch people’s feelings with her singing.

If you turn on the radio in the future and hear the DJ say, “Next up is Jesse Zuckerman’s new hit song,” don’t be surprised.