At this time last year, America was just getting to know Jax, a blonde-haired teenager from East Brunswick, New Jersey with big dreams and an even bigger voice.

After a top three finish on the second-to-last season of “American Idol,” Jax is at the very least known; she is reminded of this almost on the daily. Just last week when she attended a Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, security recognized her and escorted her to the front row.

“I’m like, the biggest Billy Joel fan of all time,” she gushed, clearly not jaded by her fame. “I was like, crying. It was amazing.”

Moments like that remind the 19-year-old of the spoils from appearing on a show as popular as “Idol.” And if you want a look in to the trials and tribulations of reality TV, look no further than Jax’s new single, “La La Land.”

“I don’t want people to think that I’m ungrateful for the experience,” she said. “All of my friends and family that I have right now are from the show and from being on reality TV, because they got to experience it with me and it’s such an intimate process.

“‘La La Land’ is just my truth and my experience. It is what it is,” she said.

So what is “La La Land?” The catchy song is an ode to things that are not what they appear to be, and certainly the lyrics seem to be derived from Jax’s run on “Idol.”

“Don’t eat, don’t sleep, stay healthy,” and “It isn’t in the budget to get a ticket for your family,” are a couple of the lines, along with “I feel a little under the weather. We got a pill from Beverly Hills that’ll make you feel better.”

It’s hard not to imagine things like, “Take all of your clothes off please. We’re gonna need them back for the finale. Someone call security and escort her out to the street. You should probably call an Uber. It might be hard to get a taxi,” actually being said by someone to a contestant on a show.

“Like I said, this is my honest story,” she reiterated without going in to specifics. “You just have to listen to the song to kind of get it.”

Surprisingly (or maybe not so considering things aren’t always what they seem), the feedback Jax has received from people connected with “Idol” has been overwhelmingly positive.

The song marks the end of Jax’s “Idol” chapter but may also serve as the beginning of another; the singer is currently traveling between Los Angeles, Nashville and New York, working on new music. Jax dished that “La La Land” may anchor an EP, which she believes would be the next logical step for her discography.

Listen to “Ralphie Tonight” weeknights from 7 p.m. to midnight on 97 BHT.

19-year-old ‘Idol’ star continues on track to success

By Ralphie Aversa | For Weekender

“American Idol” contestant, Jax, takes a selfie with Ralphie Aversa.
http://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_jax1.jpg.optimal.jpg“American Idol” contestant, Jax, takes a selfie with Ralphie Aversa. Submitted photos