Ahead of her highly anticipated homecoming concert in Manila, Jessica Sanchez looked back on her musical journey and reflected on her winning journey on America's Got Talent Season 20 while pregnant with her first child.
During her guest appearance on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, the Filipino-American singer first shared how much she has changed as a performer, saying that she now follows a ‘ritual’ before every performance, which she admitted she never used to do when she was younger.
“I do a lot now. I nebulize, I steam, I have to get like 9 hours of sleep, which is very hard being a new mom. You know, getting sleep. There's a lot of tips and tricks that I have for my throat.”
READ: Jessica Sanchez promises special night for Filipino fans at her Manila show
According to Jessica, becoming more mindful of her voice came with age and experience. During her early years competing on American Idol in 2012, where she finished as first runner-up, she admitted she would trust her ‘Filipino blood’ and go up on stage without doing warm-ups.
Now that she is a mom, Jessica makes a lot more effort before every performance due to the ‘hormonal shift’ in her body after pregnancy.
“[Now] I nebulize... it moisturizes the vocal cords. I think after I gave birth, there was like a huge hormonal shift in my body, so that affects my vocal cords. So I have to stay on top of my hydration.”
Years after first making waves as a young contestant on American Idol, Jessica returned to the competition stage through America’s Got Talent Season 20 while expecting her first child with husband Rickie Gallardo.
For the singer, balancing pregnancy with the intense demands of the competition became one of the toughest experiences of her career.
“Immensely challenging. I actually don't know how I did that. I think it was the Lord's hand on me that helped me bring out the voice, or maybe my daughter was kicking out the notes because it was very hard.”
“For me, she was right up against my diaphragm, so usually I could sing a concert worth of songs and be good. When I was on AGT, I could literally only sing one song and be done because it was so much breath that I had to kind of find in my body,” she added.
Her return to the competition also carried deep emotional meaning, especially because she first appeared on America’s Got Talent as a child contestant years ago.
“I [was] on AGT the first season when I was 10 years old. So, this was the 20th season, I came back 20 years later and even after [American] Idol, so many trials and tribulations throughout my career, and I've been on this journey with the internet. The whole internet watching. So, it really meant a lot, not only to me, but I felt like to my supporters and fans to see me kind of get out there and just take another, like I said, leap of faith to try again.”
Winning the competition became a full-circle moment for Jessica, who described the victory as something deeply personal for both her present self and the young girl who once dreamed of making it big onstage. Just a week and a half after her win, she gave birth to her daughter, Eliana.
READ: Jessica Sanchez shares how motherhood changed her identity and musical direction
Despite the global recognition she has received through the years, Jessica emphasized that Filipino fans have remained one of the biggest sources of support throughout her journey.
“I would not been able to have won without the support of the Filipino people, without the support of the Philippines. So, I am always trying to find time and find words to express how grateful I am for all of the love and support, and that's why I'm so excited to be doing this concert, this homecoming concert.”
As part of her return to the Philippines, Jessica is set to hold her homecoming concert, Jessica Sanchez: Live in Manila, on May 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The singer said during the concert’s media conference that fans can expect a special night filled with Filipino songs, performances from her album Szn, and collaborations with some of the country’s biggest OPM stars.
Joining her onstage are notable artists including Vice Ganda, Regine Velasquez, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Morissette Amon, James Reid, and Darren Espanto.