‘America’s Got Talent’ fan-favorite returns to the stage — nearly 20 years after her debut
NBC's 'America's Got Talent' promises more drama, talent, and entertainment from May 27th. The trailer celebrating 20 seasons of the popular talent show just dropped, and it featured season one favorite Jessica Sanchez returning to the live stage. Back in 2006, an 11-year-old Sanchez debuted as a wild card entry and captivated the judges with her powerful rendition of 'I Surrender.' The famed Filipino singer announced her comeback by resharing the trailer clip on her Instagram profile with the caption, "Being 10 years old on AGT played such a massive role in me believing in something bigger for myself, for my voice. What a huge blessing it is to be able to come back and chase after my dreams again after 20 years. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me," she wrote.
View this post on Instagram
During season one of AGT, Sanchez couldn't advance into the next rounds, but that did not stop her from achieving success through performing live gigs and shows, as per Talent Recap. She rose to fame after producing Rihanna's cover of 'Don't Stop the Music' through Spin Move Records, an indie music label. She also appeared on the YouTube version of the charity hit 'We Are the World 25 for Haiti.' Sanchez soon became a household name after her meteoric rise on season 11 of 'American Idol' in 2012. She received the longest standing ovation in 'American Idol' history from the judges and the crowd for her amazing rendition of Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You.'
Unfortunately, she received the lowest number of votes when it came to moving to the top 5 on the singing talent show; however, in a dramatic turn of events, she was saved from elimination at the last moment by the judges' unanimous decision. Sanchez competed to secure the top 2 spots but lost as a frontrunner to the season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips, who won by receiving 132 million votes during the finale. She soon signed a deal with Interscope Records and forayed into mainstream music. Apart from being a talented singer, Sanchez achieved success in the television industry with her portrayal of Frida Romero on the popular Fox musical show 'Glee.'
In 2013, she released her debut album, 'Me, You & the Music,' which included her hit 'Tonight' with R&B singer Ne-Yo. She forged her way into dominating the reality series 'Dancing with the Stars' by performing alongside established performers like Pitbull and Christina Aguilera during season 16 of the show. She was back on the 'American Idol' stage to render 'The Prayer' a special soulful edition during the season 15 finale in 2016 by the Fox Network. In a 2019 interview with NewsWatch Plus PH, Sanchez revealed that she had auditioned for 'X Factor' as well prior to getting her big break as an Idol.
"I was devastated, like really devastated, but then I found out that Idol was having auditions in San Diego, and I was like, maybe this is God trying to tell me something, so I went for an audition, and then, like, the rest is pretty much history," she shared. On a parting note, Sanchez disclosed that she has prioritized her own music production over listening to others' selections. She vowed to continue being authentic in the future.