Jessica Sanchez

As one of the final two contestants on Season 11 of American Idol, Jessica Sanchez rose to glory by belting out soaring ballads by the likes of Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston.

Born and raised in Chula Vista, California, Ms. Sanchez has worked on honing that vocal versatility for almost her entire life. “I started singing when I was two,” says Ms. Sanchez, who lists Mariah Carey, Etta James and Ray Charles among her musical influences. “I took any opportunity I could to sing in front of other people – like at birthday parties or just in front of my grandmother’s friends – but I was so shy that I had to stare at the floor the whole time.” She eventually overcame her shyness and, at age 10, performed Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” on an episode of Showtime at the Apollo. A year later, she competed on the premiere season of America’s Got Talent, reaching the wild-card round before getting cut. “America’s Got Talent was sort of an experiment,” she says. “It helped me realize the importance of pushing myself and not giving up, not letting anything hold me back from going after my dreams.”

Over the next few years, Ms. Sanchez performed at venues both large and small (including a 2008 San Diego Chargers game) and released a number of covers (such as Etta James’s “I’d Rather Go Blind”) through an independent record label. After nailing her American Idol audition in 2011, Ms. Sanchez climbed to the final two positions and landed her deal with Interscope soon after the season finale. Diving into the recording of her debut.

Ms. Sanchez found herself extremely busy performing all over the world, which included a trip to Macau, China, to sing both the Filipino and United States national anthems at the Manny Pacquiao fight, her third time singing the anthem for the famed boxer. Other highlights include the NBA Finals, a performance on the finale of Dancing with the Stars, The Today Show, multiple televised award shows and special performances with Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo on American Idol.

Ms. Sanchez has graced multiple international magazine covers and at the tender age of 18 received a star on the Filipino Walk of Fame in Manila. She also found time to give back and has been heavily involved in philanthropic work with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which included a two week mission to the Philippines with Manny Pacquiao giving out over 10,000 free hearing aids to those in need.

Jessica Sanchez’s debut album Me, You & the Music was released in Spring 2013 and debuted at #8 on the pop charts. She also joined the cast of Glee as a guest star for the season finale