Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her runner-up finish on the eleventh season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Me, You & the Music, peaked at number twenty-six on the US Billboard 200. In 2025, having been ousted in the semifinals of the first season, Sanchez returned nineteen years later for the twentieth season of America's Got Talent and was announced the winner on September 24, 2025.
Early life Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez was born in Chula Vista, California, on August 4, 1995. She is the daughter of Edita Sanchez (née Bugay), whose family is from Samal, Bataan, in the Philippines; and Gilbert Sanchez, a Mexican American from Texas who served as an aviation ordnanceman (Petty Officer First Class) in the United States Navy Reserve. She is the eldest of three children, with two younger brothers. Sanchez was raised in the neighborhood of Eastlake in Chula Vista. She attended Eastlake Middle School.
Career 2006–2011: Career beginnings In 2005, Sanchez performed "Respect" by Aretha Franklin on the music television show Showtime at the Apollo. A year later, she competed on the first season of NBC's talent show competition America's Got Talent, in which she became a wildcard act, but ultimately did not qualify for the grand finals. During the 2008 NFL season, Sanchez performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the San Diego Chargers' game against the New York Jets. In 2009, she recorded a cover "Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna for iTunes with independent record label Spin Move Records. Sanchez collaborated with the label once again in 2010 for a cover of "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James for YouTube and was released as an exclusive download on the label's website. Earlier same year, she collaborated with Brandon Kane for the single "Just You and Me". Additionally, she was among the fifty-seven singers who contributed in a YouTube edition of the charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", which was produced by Lisa Lavie.()(click video description to expand and see participant listing)
2012: American Idol
On July 8, 2011, Sanchez auditioned for the eleventh season of American Idol in San Diego, California. She progressed through subsequent rounds prior to being eliminated in the twenty-eighth episode on April 12, 2012, which the judges overturned by drawing the "Judges' Save" for her to remain in the competition. Sanchez ultimately finished as the runner-up in the grand finals behind Phillip Phillips on May 23, 2012. She subsequently performed three songs ("The Star-Spangled Banner," "God Bless America", and "The Prayer") at the PBS' National Memorial Day Concert from the west lawn of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 27, 2012. On June 29, 2012, it was announced that Sanchez signed a record deal with Interscope Records. She later performed "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, where she was accompanied by God's Appointed People Choir at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 6, 2012. Furthermore, the performance was succeeded by four events towards the end of the year: the City of Hope Spirit of Life Awards Gala on October 10, 2012, the 26th Annual Carousel Ball of Hope on October 23, 2012, the 2012 Brittania Awards on November 7, 2012, and Trevor Live on December 2, 2012.
Performances and results Episode Theme Song choice Original artist Order Result Audition Auditioner's Choice "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Aretha Franklin rowspan="6" Advanced Hollywood Round, Part 1 First Solo "Get Me Bodied" Beyoncé Hollywood Round, Part 2 Group Performance Unaired Hollywood Round, Part 3 Second Solo Las Vegas Round Songs from the 1950s "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"(with DeAndre Brackensick and Candice Glover) Buddy Holly Final Judgment Final Solo "The Prayer" Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli Top 25 (12 Women) Personal Choice "Love You I Do" Jennifer Hudson 11 Top 13 Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" Dolly Parton 12 Safe Top 11 Year They Were Born "Turn the Beat Around" Vicki Sue Robinson 2 Top 10 Billy Joel "Everybody Has a Dream" Billy Joel 9 Top 9 Their Personal Idols "Sweet Dreams" Beyoncé 7 "Like a Prayer", "Borderline", and "Express Yourself"(with Hollie Cavanagh and Skylar Laine) Madonna 11 Top 8 Songs from the 1980s Solo "How Will I Know" Whitney Houston 7 "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"(with Joshua Ledet) Aretha Franklin and George Michael 10 Top 7 Songs from the 2010s "Stuttering" Jazmine Sullivan 3 Saved "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"(with Joshua Ledet and Hollie Cavanagh) Kelly Clarkson 9 Songs from Now & Then "Fallin'" Alicia Keys 5 Safe "Try a Little Tenderness" Ray Noble Orchestra 12 Top 6 Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen 1 Contestant's Choice "Dance with My Father" Luther Vandross 7 Top 5 Songs from the 1960s "Proud Mary" Creedence Clearwater Revival 5 "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher"(with Hollie Cavanagh and Skylar Laine) Jackie Wilson 9 British Pop "You Are So Beautiful" Billy Preston 11 Top 4 California Dreamin' "Steal Away" Jimmy Hughes 4 "Eternal Flame"(with Hollie Cavanagh) The Bangles 6 "Waiting for a Girl Like You"(with Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet, and Phillip Phillips) Foreigner 7 Songs They Wish They'd Written "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" Jennifer Holliday 11 Top 3 Judges' Choice "My All" Mariah Carey 2 Contestant's Choice "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Aerosmith 5 Jimmy Iovine's Choice "I'll Be There" The Jackson 5 8 Finale Simon Fuller's Choice "I Have Nothing" Whitney Houston 1 Runner-up Favorite Performance "The Prayer" Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli 3 Winner's Single "Change Nothing" Jessica Sanchez 5
2013: Me, You & the Music
"Tonight", the lead single from Sanchez's debut studio album, was released on March 22, 2013. The song featured vocals from Ne-Yo. The duo previously performed "Tonight" on the twenty-first episode of the twelfth season of American Idol March 21, 2013. The song enjoyed minor domestic commercial success, where it debuted and peaked at number 48 on the Digital Songs chart. Elsewhere, "Tonight" debuted and peaked at number 42 on the ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart in Australia. On April 1, 2013, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" for then United States president Barack Obama and his family at the White House for the Easter Egg Roll. Sanchez released her debut album Me, You & the Music on April 30, 2013. The album underperformed, debuting and peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 14,000 copies in its first week. Due to Me, You & the Music's aforementioned results, Sanchez quietly parted with Interscope Records.
Approximately a year since the announcement of her casting on Fox's comedy drama television series Glee, she ultimately made her first appearance on the series as a guest star in the episode "Lights Out", which premiered on April 25, 2013. Sanchez portrayed the role of Frida Romero, a student from a rival school. She reprised the role in the episode "All or Nothing", which premiered on May 9, 2013, during which she performed "Clarity" by Zedd and Foxes and "Wings" by Little Mix as a part of The Hoosierdaddies. Sanchez performed "Feel This Moment" by Pitbull and Christina Aguilera during the grand finals of the sixteenth season of ABC's dance competition Dancing with the Stars on May 21, 2013. She performed "God Bless America" in a Memorial Day concert at the United States Capitol on May 26, 2013.
Sanchez performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Lupang Hinirang" at the Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Ríos match in The Venetian, Macau on November 23, 2013. She subsequently contributed two tracks for the Heartbeat of Home original soundtrack: "Lead Me Home", which was released as a single with an accompanying music video on November 27, 2013, and "The Night I Dance with You", which was a duet with Jencarlos Canela.
2014–2018: Stand-alone singles and Christmas with Jessica
Accompanied by Jake Zyrus and Jennifer Hudson among others, Sanchez performed "Let It Go" by Idina Menzel at the Pinoy Relief Benefit Concert on March 11, 2014, where all the proceeds of the concert would be donated to Filipino citizens that has been affected by Typhoon Haiyan. With judge Jennifer Lopez, season 8 alumni Allison Iraheta, and season 10 alumni Pia Toscano, she performed "I Luh Ya Papi" on the twenty-first episode of the thirteenth season of American Idol on March 20, 2014. The group reunited for Crustacean's Red Hour Jam Session in Beverly Hills, California on June 25, 2014, during which Sanchez performed "Pour It Up" by Rihanna. Sanchez featured on "Vacation" by DJ Komori, which was released on October 6, 2014, in conjunction of its lyric video.
"This Love", a single teased during an interview with the online magazine She Knows on December 22, 2014, was released on January 7, 2015 with an accompanying music video, which was directed by Gabriel Valenciano. Sanchez headlined a concert billed as "Jessica Sanchez: Up Close and Personal Live in Manila" at the City of Dreams, Pasay on August 9, 2015. She performed two songs with the finalists ("Dance with My Father" by Luther Vandross with Charlene Su and ''Clarity" by Zedd and Foxes with Jermaine Leong) of the second season of MediaCorp Channel 5's singing competition The Final 1 on August 21, 2013. Sanchez collaborated with Christian Bautista for the song "Two Forevers", which was released on November 5, 2015, in conjunction of its music video, from his studio album Kapit. Sanchez released the Christmas extended play Christmas with Jessica on December 8, 2015. The record was composed of covers of famed Christmas songs including "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt and was recorded within two days.
She frequently collaborated with Leroy Sanchez in 2016, where the duo released a duet of "1+1" by Beyoncé on January 27, 2016, and of Justin Bieber and Halsey's "The Feeling" on March 30, 2016. Sanchez subsequently returned to American Idol for the grand finals of the fifteenth season on April 7, 2016, during which she performed "The Prayer" by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. Her performance was lauded by the audience. Sanchez released the single "Call Me" on May 10, 2016. She performed the song during the Tubathon 2016 in Burbank, California on April 20, 2016. Sanchez released the single "Stronger Together" for the 2016 Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2016. The song was played following Hillary Clinton's acceptance speech at the convention. "Stronger Together" debuted and peaked at number four on the Dance Club Songs chart, becoming her first charting single since "Tonight". The song was remixed by Tracy Young and re-released on November 2, 2016, with an accompanying music video.
Sanchez appeared as a featured artist on "Beauty and the Beast" by Matt Bloyd from his extended play Covers, Vol. 2, which was released on July 20, 2017. She performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Los Angeles Chargers' match against the Oakland Raiders on October 15, 2017. Following her performance, Sanchez knelt in support of the U.S. national anthem protests.