Jessica Sanchez sets up promising musical career after 'Idol' run

A week after she placed runner up in "American Idol," she remains to be the "it" girl--at least in the hearts of millions of fans who adored her powerful performances in the show's 11th season (even though the coveted title eventually went to Phillip Phillips).

Jessica Sanchez have all but assured a promising musical career, with one guest mentor calling her a legend-in-the-making. Her pitch-perfect performances also caught the attention of Tommy Motola (the man who helped kickstart the careers of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez), who had voiced his interest on working with the singer.

The 16-year-old talent started strong in the competition, impressing judges who put her through the live rounds (Top 13). It is here that Jessica gathered steam, winning fans all over America and the rest of the world song after song.

But there is no denying how her Filipino heritage (her mother is Filipina, her father Mexican) helped get her closer to the hearts of the millions of Filipinos living in the US, who religiously voted for her week per week.

Filipinos are known, after all, to be “block voters” where online and phone voting are concerned, supporting favorite candidates in international competitions. During the show’s last few weeks, even Filipinos living in the Philippines tried placing their votes (some downloaded Magic Jack apps on their iPhones) and campaigned for the small girl with the big talent.

There was general consensus that Jessica was the better singer technically, but it was Phillip’s good-boy good looks and musical experience that allowed him to win in the end.

Among Jessica’s most memorable performances on the show include her rendition of many “diva songs” such as “My all” by Mariah Carey; “I will always love you” by Whitney Houston; and “Sweet dreams” by Beyonce; “And I am telling you” by Jennifer Holiday.

At the end of the day, fans of Jessica, which the singer affectionately calls “blujays,” should be happy to know that she will be releasing her own album before the year ends. Her new song, “Change nothing,” which she performed on the show’s finale, is expected to crack the upper echelons of the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

*** This article was edited for TWIST. The original story was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer under the print-only 'American Idol' special feature section on May 28, 2012. ***