From Seafood City to stardom: How Jessica Sanchez returned to 'America's Got Talent' 20 years later

Episode 29: Jessica Sanchez Transcript

Julia Dixon Evans: There's a really tempting hero-origin way to start the story of Jessica Sanchez. It goes something like this. There are some people who just seem born to be stars. Jessica had that kind of beginning. She grew up in Chula Vista, the daughter of Mexican and Filipino parents. Her mother says she started singing as soon as she could talk. Jessica entered her first singing competition when she was 7. At 10, she made it onto the very first season of "America's Got Talent." At 16, onto "American Idol." She became a hometown icon — one that people here were cheering for. After that, it's easy to imagine how the story unfolds — a rising star, fame, success, but, as we know, it's rarely that simple.

Jessica Sanchez: Being 10 years old and being 16 years old on these big stages, you're like, all you see is like the spotlight and you're like, oh my gosh, I could win Grammys and go and do tours and sell out stadiums.

But I think I lost the feeling of why I was doing this.

Evans: Jessica was molded into a musical prodigy, but as quickly as she rose, everything began to unravel. Today, the real story of San Diego's very own Jessica Sanchez. What drove her to the point of leaving music behind? And what did it take to come back?

Evans: From KPBS Public Media, this is The Finest, a podcast about the people, art and movements redefining culture in San Diego. I'm Julia Dixon Evans.

[Theme Music]

Evans: To understand Jessica's story, you have to understand the place where it started: San Diego's South Bay, specifically Chula Vista and National City. KPBS reporter Kori Suzuki covers the South Bay. He and our producer Anthony went to see it for themselves. Kori takes it from here.

Kori Suzuki: So we are outside Seafood City in National City. It's evening, but pretty bright 'cause of all of the light coming from inside the grocery store.

Anthony Wallace: It's a little chilly, pretty busy.

Suzuki: We're standing at the entrance to a supermarket in Bay Plaza, Seafood City. It's a major gathering place full of hot comfort food and staple groceries, just off the 805 and Orange Avenue. It's actually where Jessica says she had some of her first performances as a kid.

Do you have a second? My name's Kori. I'm a reporter at KPBS. This is my co-worker, Anthony. Yeah, we are…

Suzuki: This area is the anchor of one of the largest Filipino communities in the country.

Wallace: This area, National City, and the community. What does it mean to you?

Seafood City shopper: I mean, I like the Filipino representation.

It feels there's a lot of diversity out here.

Seafood City shopper: It's like when you're with someone and you haven't met them yet, but they're Filipino, it's like you're really close to them already.

Seafood City shopper: Most of our classmates are Filipinos, so we got used to it.

Suzuki: Most people we run into are busy, carrying grocery bags and pushing carts, but a surprising number of people do stop and talk with us.

The biggest thing that comes through is a sense of pride, of a feeling that everyone here is rooting for each other, for people here to show the world what they have to offer.

Seafood City shopper: South Bay's like not to be like an underdog community. Right?

Seafood City shopper: And I think we actually produce a lot of beautiful and strong things.

Suzuki: Standing here in the light of the grocery store, it's almost possible to picture what it would've looked like to an 8- or 9-year-old Jessica Sanchez 20 years ago, walking through the doors, getting ready for one of her first performances.

Do you happen to know who Jessica Sanchez is?

Wallace: Singer.

Seafood City shopper: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Suzuki: The singer.

Seafood City shopper: Yeah.

Seafood City shopper: She's the young one from here.

Seafood City shopper: I love her voice, she's very talented. She's like, wow. You know, it just brought us back in the map.

Suzuki: From the beginning, Jessica was making music. She says she would sing in the kitchen, in the living room, anywhere there was a karaoke machine

Sanchez: Because you know every Filipino family has a karaoke machine. I remember one time I left the door open and I was just belting and the neighbors came by and they were like, who is that singing?

Suzuki: Jessica's mom encouraged her to start singing early.

Sanchez: I grew up, you know, with more of my Filipino side, and I feel like the Filipino culture in San Diego is very strong. But really I started performing in front of my friends and family when I was 5 years old.

Anamaria Labao Cabato: For Filipinos, from cradle to grave, you will always be exposed to music.

Suzuki: That's Anamaria Labao Cabato, the executive director of PASACAT, San Diego's oldest Philippine Performing Arts organization. She's describing something she's heard other cultural arts experts say. Ana often sees the same thing.

Labao Cabato: Every child has to take some kind of a music class, either piano or you learn singing. And especially with the development of the karaoke machine, all the kids were taught to sing.

Suzuki: That's what Jessica did. She loved R&B and Beyoncé. When she was 7, her mom started entering her into competitions all around the South Bay.

Sanchez: I even did a mini concert I think at Eastlake Middle School.

I did a Seafood city competition, I think in National City and a couple other ones. I definitely made my rounds around San Diego.

Suzuki: Jessica didn't always like being the center of attention. She was shy. Sometimes she would stare at the floor while she performed so she wouldn't have to look at anyone, but she could sing.

Sanchez: I've been doing these local competitions and I'd actually been like winning every single one.

Suzuki: Jessica was also gaining confidence with each performance. When her mom told her that a new national music show is coming to town, she remembers feeling ready.

Sanchez: So I was like, oh yeah, this is gonna be great. I'm gonna win this one.

Suzuki: The show, the very first season of "America's Got Talent."

"America's Got Talent clip: The most remarkable talent search in history.

Suzuki: When she entered the competition, Jessica was 10 years old.

Sanchez from "AGT" clip: Hi, my name is Jessica Sanchez. I'm from San Diego.

Suzuki: In her first interview, she's wearing a white aloha shirt with pink flowers and a sideways camo hat. She dedicates the performance to her dad, who was deployed overseas.

Sanchez from "AGT" clip: My dad is in Iraq. He's in the Navy, and I really miss him. I wish he could be right here with me right now.

Suzuki: The stage, both the physical one and the one broadcast across the country, was the biggest she had ever performed on. And Jessica didn't look like the shy little kid who stared at the floor. She walked right up to the judges as she finished the song. The audience leapt to its feet. She made it to the semi-finals, but eventually the judges made their decision. She was out.

Sanchez from "AGT" clip: I tried my best.

Regis Philbin from "AGT" clip: You did a great job and I liked the way you told…

Sanchez: I was completely devastated. I was just in tears. A 10-year-old that had been winning all of these local competitions, you know, get slapped with reality. In an instant I was like, OK, this is what I wanna do and I feel like I am able to do this if I work at it, and if I continue to fight for this and see where it takes me.

Suzuki: Jessica tried everything she could. She auditioned for other reality TV singing competitions like "The X Factor." Her mom helped her get on YouTube where she posted covers of Beyoncé and Bruno Mars from her bedroom. Some went viral, but none led to a breakthrough. Then Jessica and her mom were watching another TV singing competition…

Ryan Seacrest from "American Idol" clip: Is the next American Idol…

Suzuki: "American Idol," when they heard an announcement.

Sanchez: At the end of the show, they were like, we're gonna come to San Diego for auditions for next season. And me and my mom were like, oh my gosh, this is our chance.

Suzuki: Jessica was 16. She auditioned at Petco Park.

Jessica captivated the judges and the country. She made it to the second round. Then the third.

Seacrest from "American Idol" clip: Everybody is feeling the heat, including our youngest contestant from San Diego, Jessica Sanchez.

Labao Cabato: I was an "American Idol" fan for years, and so I remember her. She just looked kinda like picture perfect.

Suzuki: Back home, everyone was watching, including Ana. Jessica sounded great, but Ana felt like something was missing.

Labao Cabato: There's a difference between when you perform for yourself and you share from your heart what this gift is, versus I have a talent and I'm gonna perform. I mean, we observe it here at PASACAT the same thing. We want them to feel the soul of the dance rather than saying, OK, we teach you these movements over and over again, but get to the soul and the heart of the dance. So in a way, I felt that Jessica was more on the performance side. She looked, you know, she looked great, she sounded great, she had a powerful voice, but there was probably something missing.

Suzuki: Still, Jessica made it all the way to the final two.

Seacrest from "American Idol" clip: The winner of "American Idol" Seasoned 11 is Phillip Phillips.

Sanchez: I was so close to winning. I came in, I came in second, which is huge being 16 years old. I cannot believe how far I made it on that show. That was crazy.

Suzuki: Jessica had lost another competition, but this time she had won something too: her breakout moment. That summer, she signed her first record deal. She performed the national anthem for Memorial Day on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and for an NBA finals game in Oklahoma City.

Sanchez: I was able to do all of these great, amazing things and events and meet all these great people.

Suzuki: In many ways, it was everything she had been working towards, but it also wasn't quite what she had imagined.

Sanchez: I got lost in it all and I started really doubting myself, and this was kind of like where it was a downhill road for me.

Suzuki: What happens when the dream wants to change you? That's after the break.

[Music]

Suzuki: So Jessica left home, she moved to Los Angeles with a record deal and dreams of launching a career. She began working on her own music.

Sanchez: I went and did an album, my first debut album, which is "Me, You and the Music" with Interscope.

Suzuki: This album is filled with that distinct sound of early 2010s pop. She even has a track called "Tonight" featuring three-time Grammy Award winner Ne-Yo. Things were off to a strong start, but moving from a smaller community like San Diego's South Bay to L.A. was a little overwhelming.

Sanchez: L.A. is just, there's so much going on and there's so many big dreams and so many people chasing after the, you know, the same thing.

You can get really lost.

Suzuki: And other people weren't just chasing their own dreams. A lot of people around Jessica also seemed to have their own ideas about her and what she should be doing. Some told her what she could and couldn't sing. Others tried to dictate how she should dress.

Sanchez: And I'm not talking about just people in comments on YouTube and stuff like that, but people that are in higher positions in the industry that have told me like, hey, you can't do this because you are Asian or you're Mexican or you should do this because you're a woman and women usually sell better if you do this. I remember guys that were managers or producers and stuff like that that would tell me like, oh, like, you know, we could see you being this sexy Asian girl, you know? And I'm just like, this is, this is really weird that you're trying to put me in this box.

Suzuki: Even when it made her uncomfortable, Jessica felt pressured to do what they said. She was still just a kid.

Sanchez: I was 16 years old. You know, I didn't have a sense of foundation within myself of like, oh no, these are my morals and this is what I stand for.

Suzuki: Ana says young artists, especially young women of color, often face these pressures.

Labao Cabato: Because sometimes as a young person, you don't know how to process what's being thrown at you, so you just do what you're asked to do because who are you to question authority and elders?

Suzuki: In 2015, Ana and Jessica's paths crossed for the first time. Ana and other Filipino community leaders were planning a celebration for the 100th anniversary of Balboa Park. They invited Jessica to come home and perform. The concert went well, Ana remembers, but from the outside it felt like Jessica was kept at a distance — almost like she wasn't really there.

Labao Cabato: I didn't even get to meet her and I was one of the co-chairs of the whole event. The interaction was with another person who contacted the manager, so it was like three people away. You're in and out and I guess that's the way they kind have you.

Suzuki: Ana's instincts were right. Something was off. To everyone else it seemed like things were going great for Jessica. But on the inside, Jessica says it felt like things were falling apart.

Sanchez: I was going through a lot with, you know, my finances, with my career, with my family. Everything was just a downward spiral. I started really doubting myself. I don't know if I can do this. I really wanna do this. I love music and I wanna become a performer and a singer, but I don't know if I can do that. I feel like if I stay in the industry and I did the things that I didn't wanna do, I feel like people would recognize that there wasn't authenticity.

Suzuki: But Jessica also wondered, what would it mean if she left music behind? For so long it felt like her identity and her voice were one and the same. If she stopped singing, what would that say about who she was?

Jessica decided to take some time off. It was 2017, five years since her run on "American Idol." She had a show coming up in San Diego, a chance to step back from the L.A. scene and spend some time at home.

Sanchez: And so I told myself, OK, I should go back home to San Diego and take a break from all of this.

Suzuki: The show was at Cornerstone Church in National City. Afterwards, Jessica got a DM on Instagram from a guy who had heard her sing and wanted to get coffee.

Sanchez: Actually, before he did that, he sent me a video on Instagram: him at the sound booth while I'm singing on stage, and he's like, I'm gonna marry you one day. And typically I wouldn't answer extreme stuff like that, or I wouldn't just go on a date with somebody that I hadn't met. But I had this feeling, and that's why I say, it's a God thing. Like OK, like why not?

Suzuki: Jessica decided to take a chance. She hadn't been back to San Diego in a while, and she wanted to be around good people. She started hanging out with the admirer who had sent the message. His name was Rickie.

Sanchez: He really saw how broken I was as a person. I felt like my identity was set into my voice as far as what I do on stage, and I felt like since I was failing in my career, I was a failure as a person. And really he has been there from the beginning of me searching for that purpose of why am I doing this?

Suzuki: Rickie helped Jessica slow down. He supported her as she stepped back from the music industry as she searched for answers about who she was as an artist. He helped her deepen her connection to Christianity, which became the backbone for some of those questions. Eventually, they got married. Back in her hometown away from Los Angeles, it seems like Jessica was feeling more like herself again, like she was beginning to find a new sense of purpose.

Sanchez: I feel like I've been doing this my whole life and I feel stuck. I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know why I am doing it. I don't, you know, like I don't want to seek fame. I don't wanna seek fortune. It hasn't brought me happiness. This needs to be bigger than me. It needs to be bigger than the things that money can buy. And being just on a platform just for my own glory and my own praise, like I need this to be something that's gonna impact other people.

Suzuki: About five years ago, Rickie and Jessica moved to Houston. Jessica began experimenting with more personal songs, ones that had felt too vulnerable in the past.

Sanchez: I kind of opened up and I wrote a couple songs. Those songs didn't like do too great and so again, I was like, you know, am I doing something wrong? I don't know if this is for me.

Suzuki: Jessica started thinking about whether it was time to move on from music altogether. Then she heard the news, "America's Got Talent" was back for its 20th season.

Terry Crews from "AGT" clip: Welcome to "AGT" Season 20!

Suzuki: Two decades after 10-year-old Jessica first appeared. It felt like a sign.

Sanchez: I kind of feel like there was this sense of peace of like, OK, I feel like it's been so many years and I feel at peace about kind of putting myself back out there. I wasn't really thinking about what people would think of me coming back on a show or me failing. I was just like, you know what? I'm ready to just go out there and try again.

Suzuki: Jessica decided to audition for the show, but a few days later she learned some even bigger news. She was pregnant.

Sanchez: I really questioned myself. I was like, OK, am I still gonna do this? And I talked to God about it and I was like, if this is what he wants, he'll make it happen. If not, then it won't happen.

Suzuki: Auditions in the first performances began early last year in Pasadena. Being in that room again brought memories flooding back.

Sanchez from "AGT" clip: And I was actually on the very first season of "America's Got Talent."

Sofia Vergara from "AGT" clip: That's amazing!

Sanchez: Oh, I was here 20 years ago at 10 years old, and the feeling is the same, the fire was inside of me again where I was like, I could do this. And I feel like I wanna win this, I want it.

Suzuki: Jessica made it easily through auditions and the early rounds.

Vergara from "AGT" clip: I mean, I really don't understand what happened in this 20 years, but I guess they were meant to be because this was a special moment and I think that you deserve this.

Suzuki: Once again San Diego tuned in to watch.

Seafood City shopper: So she came back. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so proud of her. And she was pregnant. She was so cute and everything.

Seafood City shopper: That just shows how much strength she has and motivation.

Seafood City shopper: We were so excited because we knew her. So yeah we're rooting for her.

Suzuki: Ana was watching too.

Labao Cabato: I just happened to stumble on "AGT." I'm not, I don't watch "America's Got Talent" very often, but I will, you know, pick up on some of it, especially when there's Filipinos.

Suzuki: For Ana, Jessica's return two decades later felt different.

Labao Cabato: The way she dressed. So in "American Idol" she was fancy dressed and then for "AGT" she came as herself.

Suzuki: For the quarterfinals though, Jessica had to do her first performance on a live broadcast, but as the show got closer, her voice almost gave out. In the midst of her pregnancy, it felt like her body wasn't cooperating, like she was having to teach herself how to sing all over again. In her hotel room, Jessica remembers feeling scared.

Sanchez: I was crying and trying, but also trying not to cry because then that it tightens your vocal chords. And so I'm like, what, I wanna cry, but I can't cry. And I just told myself God's brought me this far and I need to walk my faith truly, even in the scariest moments. And I did, and my voice came out, thank God. And it was a great performance. It was a lot better than like the dress rehearsals.

Vergara from "AGT" clip: That was spectacular. And America is loving you.

Simon Cowell from "AGT" clip: I am absolutely blown away because…

Suzuki: Jessica advanced through the quarterfinals and semifinals. In late September, she reached the final round. She chose "Die With a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, the same artist she grew up singing decades ago.

Sanchez: I was kind of scrambling of like, OK, how am I gonna make this my own rendition instead of it sounding like karaoke. But that song is such a beautiful song and I poured out all of my emotions and a mix of grit, but also gentleness.

Labao Cabato: You can even hear it in her voice. It was so soulful and it's like you could sense that she knew who she was now.

Crews from "AGT" clip: The "AGT" champion and the winner of $1 million is Jessica Sanchez! Jessica, you're the new "AGT" champion, how does that feel?Sanchez from "AGT" clip: I'm sorry, I'm really emotional. This is amazing, thank you.

Suzuki: Back outside the supermarket in National City, people say watching Jessica's courage to come back, her renewed sense of purpose and her win, it meant a lot to all of them.

Seafood City shopper: During her performance she put more emotions right now compared before. Yeah. She's like, she can conquer the world, you know?

Seafood City shopper: She represented like Philippines and San Diego. We're so proud. Really, really proud of her. She's a star.

Seafood City shopper: It's just cool to have somebody coming from National City, like you know, where we're from.

Seafood City shopper: Someone that came up from the neighborhood, that's a good thing.

Suzuki: It wasn't hard to find people that knew who Jessica was at Seafood City. Almost everyone knew her name. One mother was there with her daughters, both younger than Jessica was when she first appeared on "American Idol." The mother knew Jessica well. She took out her phone to show the girls.

Mother at Seafood City: Oh my gosh. Yeah.

Sanchez from "AGT" clip: And I was actually on the very first season of "America's Got Talent."

Daughter at Seafood City: What the heck?

Mother at Seafood City: Oh, Martha. She's a Filipino pride.

Suzuki: It was like we were seeing what Jessica had wanted all along, in real time, for her story and voice to have an impact.

Wallace: Well, what did you guys think when you just watched her?

Daughter at Seafood City: Oh my god, that was so cool.

Daughter at Seafood City: I liked her performance.

Daughter at Seafood City: I like how her vocals, they go like in a certain way.

Daughter at Seafood City: It's very cool because people from our city is rising and it just shows how we can have better opportunities too.

Daughter at Seafood City: Inspiration for other kids. It took her 20 years to come back.

Wallace: Do you wanna do something big like she did?

Daughter at Seafood City: I would, I would prob. I would want to, yeah.

Daughter at Seafood City: Yeah.

Suzuki: To Ana Jessica's comeback is a testament to the artistry and importance of music in San Diego's Filipino diaspora. It shows how powerful it can be to have a place where you don't feel racialized or discriminated against, where you can be yourself.

Labao Cabato: There's so many Filipinos here, right? So you feel comfortable. I feel comfortable. It's as if I'm in the Philippines, and when you're comfortable and you have that sense of belonging like I belong here, then you're able to flourish.

Suzuki: Jessica says she still carries parts of San Diego with her. That little girl singing at East Lake Middle School staring at the floor so she wouldn't have to see anyone. That young woman lost in Hollywood, returning home to perform at Cornerstone Church.

Sanchez: I just wanna say thank you again to everybody there. I love you guys so much and every time I come back, you know, I hope to see familiar faces, new faces, and just give you guys the biggest hug and say thank you in person because it's definitely carried me throughout.

Suzuki: One day, Jessica says, she'll come home for good.

Evans: That was Kori Suzuki, KPBS' South Bay and Imperial Valley reporter. Special thanks to Jessica Sanchez, Anamaria Labao Cabato and to everyone at Seafood City for their help with this episode.

And thank you so much for listening. If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe. Leave a rating or comment. It makes a real difference and helps stories like these reach more people. Also, we print them out and read them out loud at our desks.

Next week on The Finest, Niki de Saint Phalle's sculptures are legendary in San Diego and across the world. We tell the story of her unlikely friendship with the man she depended on to help build and take care of them long after she's gone.

Lech Juretko: If you work with somebody like Niki for so many years this is also becomes like your family.

Evans: The Finest is a production of KPBS Public Media. I'm your host, Julia Dixon Evans. Our producer is Anthony Wallace, who also composed the score. Our audio engineer is Ben Redlawsk, and our editor is Chrissy Nguyen.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.