“American Idol” Season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez returned to the Idol stage on Friday, March 22 (Manila time) and performed her newest single “Tonight,” together with R&B star Ne-yo.
Before her live performance, Jessica recounted on video how her ‘Idol” journey started.
“It has always been my dream to be on Idol and make a platform for myself and really get my name out there. I used to stay a lot at home and I used to just dream of all the things I’m doing now. Idol has changed my life completely,” Jessica said.
Joining ‘Idol’ and placing second opened many doors for Jessica.
“I went on the 'Idol' tour. I’m doing crazy photoshoots. I have billboards, huge big billboards, the size of buildings. I’ve performed for the Democratic national convention. I’ve done of couple of magazine (pictorials).”
Debut album
The full-fledged recording artist will release her debut album “Me, Myself and the Music” in April. Her music video for “Tonight” shows a hipper, sexier Jessica dancing with Ne-yo.
“We shot a music video for my latest single, featuring Ne-yo. This is very, very exciting. He’s very talented. I actually did some dancing on there. This song starts right here on AI, everybody knows my story, I want to show you guys how much I’ve grown,” she said.
She will also appear on the American musical TV series “Glee,” which she said is a huge stepping stone in her career.
“I can’t wait to be in front of camera and pretend to be somebody else for once. It’s gonna be fun.”
Jessica also shared her Philippine experience in ‘Idol.’
Special connection
“Recently, I went to Manila. I have a special connection to the Philippines because that’s where my mom’s from. I had my first solo concert and it was sold-out.”
She recalled how she got a warm welcome from Fil-Am fans, and shared how proud she is to represent Filipinos in the same way that they appreciate her.
“Walking on the stage, it was just amazing to sing for them and see them scream and cheer. They’re very proud of the Filipino blood and I’m very proud to represent for them. Just to go over there, and treat me like a family means a lot to me. Every moment of that concert was so special for me. I can’t wait to have another one,” she said.
