What’s next for Jessica Sanchez, ‘America’s Got Talent’ season 20 winner?

MANILA, Philippines – Fresh off her triumphant run on America’s Got Talent season 20, California-born singer Jessica Sanchez is back in the Philippines to celebrate with her people — ushering in a new era with her AGT win, motherhood, and exciting new projects.

Sanchez’s recently released Szn, an an eight-track album, marks the singer’s first full-length project since 2013. Szn captures the colors of Sanchez’s journey as both an artist and person.

In a press conference on Monday, May 11, Sanchez shared that prior to trying out for AGT season 20, she had begun to feel discouraged from pursuing music. 

“[Then] the Lord not only blessed me with the opportunity of AGT and winning AGT, but also with my baby girl,” Sanchez said. “So I felt like this was really my season and my time. And so that’s why this album was so special to me because it talks about different seasons in my life.”

Sanchez’s current season brings her to Manila. While pursuing her craft in the US music industry, she faced obstacles due to being Filipino-Mexican. Following her comeback, the outpouring of support from Filipinos not only shocked her but also showed her the weight of her platform as representative of innate Filipino talent. 

“It was really hard for Filipinos to shine, and I feel like now we’re really getting our chance out there and we’re really showing everybody all around the world that us Filipinos have talent in every area,” Sanchez said. “Not only singing, but dancing and acting and in sports.”

The journey to the spotlight was not easy for Sanchez. She famously delivered her winning performance on AGT while nine months pregnant, a feat that tested her mental fortitude and physical capabilities as a singer. Sanchez had to relearn how to sing with her diaphragm given her pregnancy. This discipline continues after giving birth to her daughter Eliana, as postpartum hormonal changes impact her vocal abilities. 

It is a shift from how she freely trained earlier in her career, but a necessary one. Now, Sanchez’s backstage routines revolve around vocal nebulizing and humidifying, sets of lip and tongue trills, and regular sessions with her vocal coach. 

“I realized that my voice is a gift, and I need to take care of that gift,” Sanchez said.

In honor of her Filipino fans and heritage, Sanchez wants to dedicate more of her artistry to the language, culture, and local industry. Learning Filipino alongside her daughter, Sanchez aims to one day release tracks in Filipino, involving herself creatively with other Filipino musicians.

“That’s why I’m just so excited to be back here in Manila,” she explained. “And I do have a flight back home scheduled, but I really, really am hoping that I can extend and stay and hopefully collaborate with many, many more Filipino artists out here.”

Sanchez is now gearing up for her Manila concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on May 16. She will be joined by a star-studded guest lineup: Darren Espanto, James Reid, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Regine Velasquez, Vice Ganda, and Morissette, with whom she will be performing their collaborative single, “Stronger Than Before.”

At the concert, Szn will bloom live in rich soulful pop and smooth R&B, commemorating Sanchez’s present, the past it took her to get here, and the future that lies ahead. Sanchez urges fans to stay tuned as she hopes to experiment more with her music.

Whatever her next venture is, Sanchez is ready to explore the possibilities, confidently repeating her mantra,  “I’m a Filipino, I got this.” – Raine Romero/Rappler.com

Raine Romero is a Rappler intern studying AB Political Science with a minor in Creative Writing at De La Salle University.