Filipino pride Jessica Sanchez is returning to the Philippine stage for her upcoming concert, “Jessica Sanchez Live in Manila,” on May 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Filipino-American singer’s homecoming concert will kick off her “Seasons” world tour after becoming the grand champion of America’s Got Talent (AGT) Season 20 and transitioning into motherhood.
The lineup is composed of talented and star-studded Filipino artists including Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano, Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez, Concert King Martin Nievera, Asia’s Pop Heartthrob Darren Espanto, Asia’s Phoenix Morissette, Multimedia Prince James Reid, and host-comedian Vice Ganda.
“There’s going to be a lot of amazing things happening for the show,” Sanchez said in a press conference held at the Novotel Hotel, Araneta City. “You’re not going to want to miss it.”
Sanchez also shared that the concert will highlight her decade-long journey in music.
“I feel like my journey has been since I was 10 years old on AGT, the first season. So we’re going to throw it back for a few numbers.”
‘Szn’ album
Aside from the concert, Jessica Sanchez expressed excitement over her new eight-track album, Szn, featuring some of the songs she will perform during the show.
“The whole idea of ‘Szn’ is kind of like a little piece of the seasons that I’ve gone through, the season that I’m in right now,” she shared. “I feel like I would tell all my family and friends during my AGT process. I felt like the Lord was telling me that this was my season.”
The got talent’s winner recalled that before auditioning for the show, she was close to giving up on music. However, she said she trusted God’s plan for her, which eventually led not only to her victory but also to becoming a mother.
“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 kind of talks a little bit about different seasons in my life,” she said.
The album also includes the song ‘Stronger than Before,’ a collaboration with Morissette.
Sanchez said she had admired the Filipina singer even before they worked together. She shared that she personally reached out to Morissette for the collaboration, which the singer gladly accepted, resulting in a song centered on their shared faith.
“I think this is not only an empowering song for everybody, but also for women. Us being two women in the industry and all the things that we have gone through,” Sanchez said. “I feel like we’ve gone through similar things. We were really able to pour ourselves into the song.”
Mommy Jessica
Competing in AGT was already difficult, but for Sanchez, constantly adjusting to the physical and vocal changes brought by pregnancy made the experience even more challenging.
Throughout her journey in the competition, she was pregnant with her now six-month-old daughter, Eliana Mae, with her husband Rickie Gallardo. She gave birth shortly after winning the competition.
During the press conference, the singer shared how she managed competing while nearing childbirth and how motherhood transformed her perspective on life and music.
“The talent show, it was, well, I was nine months pregnant, so that was very stressful. Quite a challenge,” she recalled. “Also, my stomach was so big, so I had to kind of re-teach myself how to sing with, you know, my diaphragm and everything. So that was a challenge in itself.
Now a mother, Sanchez said her identity has shifted beyond music.
“It’s been a huge shift for me because music has been my identity in my life since I was very young. And now becoming a mom, even when I was pregnant, it was such a beautiful thing because I felt like the Lord was giving me a chance to shift my identity from it just being music to now just being Jessica,” she said.
With her new direction in music and life, Sanchez shared that motherhood helped her better understand herself and what she truly wants. She added that becoming a mother also made her more confident as a woman.
Filipino support
Filipinos have continued to rally behind and support Sanchez since her first appearance in AGT and throughout her journey in American Idol, where she finished as runner-up. Even now, after winning the 20th season of AGT, fans continue to show their unwavering support for the singer.
“You know, sometimes I just don’t have words to express how grateful I am to be in the position that I’m in,” Sanchez said. “Like I said, I was only 17 years old when ‘Tonight’ came out and when I was on Idol. And so there were people that were around the same age as me supporting me at that time. And I feel like we have grown up together.”
“And more than anything, it means so much to be able to represent Filipinos in America, to show the talent that we have, to show the ambition that we have, to show the strength that we have as a Filipino woman in America. So it means the world,” she added.
To give back to her supporters, Sanchez teased the release of a Tagalog EP dedicated to her Filipino fans. She also revealed that she will perform a Tagalog song during her upcoming concert.
“We are working heavily on that. I’m very excited that it’s going to be coming out, and there are still a lot of things that we need to do for that,” she shared. “So for this concert, I will be singing Tagalog. I don’t know if I’ll be singing anything from the EP, but I will be singing Tagalog. I have to because I’m here. You know, I’m here in the Philippines.”
The singer said the upcoming project is her way of honoring the Filipino supporters who have stayed by her side throughout the years.
To close the press conference, Sanchez emphasized how her faith has sustained her throughout her life and career.
“My faith is my foundation and I give all the credit to God,” she said. “Everything that I do is because of His goodness and His will. And because I’m here, I know that God has a purpose for me and that’s why I always say, as the Lord pours into me, I will pour into others. So my career is not for my name, but to hopefully impact other people.”
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The concert is presented by Wilbros Live and co-produced by RS Francisco of Frontrow.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source pop.inquirer.net ’
