Millikin’s Jayla Lee competing in the semifinals of 8th Annual APO NextGen Collegiate Vocal competition

DECATUR, Ill. – For as long as she can remember, Millikin University’s Jayla Lee has been singing. 

“I've been singing for forever. My mom says that I was singing as soon as I could speak words,” Jayla said. “I sang in church my whole life. I did show choir and even came to Millikin for show choir camp when I was in high school.”

Jayla is putting those singing skills on display as she competes in the American Pops Orchestra 8th Annual NextGen National: Finding the Voices of Tomorrow competition. Jayla has advanced to the national semifinal round, which will take place live on Sunday, December 1 at 1 p.m. 

The American Pops Orchestra (APO) was founded in 2015 and is dedicated to bringing American popular music to diverse new audiences. The NextGen National: Finding the Voices of Tomorrow competition allows collegiate vocalists to learn from industry professionals while competing to win scholarship money and paid performance opportunities with APO.

For the 2024 competition, APO received a record number of auditions, with 240 submissions from 112 colleges. For the audition, Jayla needed to submit a 32-bar cut of a song released before 1970, and she chose “All I Can Do is Cry”  by Etta James.

Sunday’s semifinals will determine 10 finalists who win an all-expenses paid trip to New York City and compete live at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center on January 19, 2025. Jayla will sing “Them There Eyes” by Ella Fitzgerald in the semifinals and she has enjoyed singing jazz for the first time and learning more about older works.

"Singing jazz is new to me, and I’ve enjoyed it. The premise of the competition is basically to bring the classics to the next generation,” Jayla said. “I’ve been diving into the history of popular music before my time, which I appreciate. I feel that a lot of those songs do get lost in the shuffle for people of my age, especially if your parents aren't listening to it.”

Originally from Harvey, Ill., Jayla graduated from Decatur MacArthur High School. She is now a junior Theatre major and transferred to Millikin from Columbia College Chicago last year. 

“I used to come to Millikin for the Showchoir Camps of America (SCA), so I knew many of the faculty. I also felt comfortable because I had my family here in Decatur,” she said. “The Theatre program so far has been great, and everyone and everybody is super nice. It hasn't been hard to get adjusted.”

Jayla battles some nerves when performing but can overcome them when it is time to take centerstage. 

“I am always nervous for the first 10 seconds, but I do not feel like I let it show. I'm just like, oh no, but after it starts, I'm pretty much OK,” she said. “I sing a lot of gospel and R&B, and I love Erykah Badu and Missy Elliott. I also love Ella Fitzgerald and have been diving in recently with her. If I like you, I’m one of those people who will listen to everything you've ever produced so that I can add what I like to my playlist. I am just a fan of music.”  

How to vote in Sunday’s competition: 

APO’s three judges plus the audience vote will determine the 10 finalists who will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to compete in the Finals at NYC's David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.

Head to the competition home page and click “Get a voting ticket.” Registering for this event will give you the YouTube livestream link  24 hours in advance. Following the semifinal livestream, viewers will receive a voting link to vote for their favorite semifinalists.

The NextGen semifinal live stream is free to watch, and purchasing a voting ticket will allow you to vote for your favorite vocalists and help send 10 finalists to Lincoln Center in NYC!

Vote by any of the three methods:

1. Purchasing a "Voting Ticket"
2. Purchase the "Voting Add-On" with your free RSVP ticket
3. Texting "NEXTGEN2025" to 44-321