In 1996, at age 12, Pacitti was chosen to star in the 20th anniversary revival of the musical Annie after entering a contest sponsored by the department store Macy's.

During the first half of 2007, Pacitti recorded the song "Out from Under" for the Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack which was re-recorded by Britney Spears for her album "Circus" which was released in 2008.

Pacitti auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in Louisville, Kentucky, in an episode that aired on January 21, 2009.

Her career leading up to this event has caused some debate about whether American Idol contestants should be strictly amateur performers.

[4] According to Star magazine, the reason behind this was that Pacitti had personal connections to two executives that worked at the Los Angeles office of American Idol's 19 Entertainment.