Pulitzer-winning journalist and poet Carl Sandburg wrote, “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.”
For 30-year-old Filipino-American singer Jessica Sanchez, America’s Got Talent (AGoT) 20th Season grand prize winner, Sandburg’s words ring true.
In June last year, there were the viral videos of a pregnant contestant getting the nod of AGoT’s judges and studio audiences, climbing from the quarterfinals to the finals and bringing home the prize.
She was that same contestant, who at 10, competed up to the semifinals in the inaugural season of AGoT in 2006.
It’s an inspiring story that, as they say, happens only in a Netflix series.
But the real-life tale of Sanchez is more than that. She enjoyed fame at 10, regained it at 16, lost it again along the way, and with the right attitude, fulfilled her childhood dream 14 years later.
Her story is about not losing sight of your dreams, despite the world telling you otherwise.
On May 16, Saturday night, for her successful concert titled Jessica Sanchez: Live in Manila, she performed to a jampacked Smart Araneta Coliseum with Morissette Amon, Gary Valenciano, Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, Darren Espanto and James Reid.
She told the Filipino crowd: “There are times in my life I wanted to give up. Right before America’s Got Talent. For you guys to spend money on me, means the world to me. I would not be in this position without you guys. And my Savior Jesus Christ.”
Given how celebrities come and go, admittedly, I have completely forgotten about Sanchez until she became famous again in America’s Got Talent, Season 20.
The Filipino-American singing sensation was born Aug. 4, 1995 and grew up in Chula Vista, California. Her Filipina mother, Editha Bugay-Sanchez, hails from Samal, Bataan, and her father, Mexican-American US Navy Reserve Petty Officer Gilbert Sanchez, is from Chula Vista.
The first time I encountered her and experienced her live performance was 11 years ago when she gave media interviews and did a concert in a newly opened casino in Parañaque City.
My memory fails me and social media didn’t even bring it back, but Google told me the show was titled Up Close and Personal at Chaos, City of Dreams Manila, on Aug. 9, 2015, with guest Christian Bautista.
I found the old story I wrote for Inquirer, and it showed how busy she was then and wanting to go to our world-famous island beaches like El Nido and Boracay.
Sanchez rose to fame when she made it to the American Idol finals in 2012. She was only 16, and like over anyone in the limelight with Filipino blood, we celebrated her runner-up win, despite her loss to grand-prize winner Philip Philips Jr.
The first time she performed in the Philippines was on Sept. 21, 2012, with other American Idol finalists. She performed again as solo artist on Feb. 14, 2013, Valentine’s Day, also at the Big Dome.
On separate occasions, she sang the national anthems, Lupang Hinirang and The Star-Spangle Banner, in several fights by Manny Pacquiao in the US from 2013 to 2014.
After her Manila intimate concert in 2015, like many celebrities who struggle to keep up with the trend and produce new works, Sanchez didn’t have hits to stay visible in the business.
Sanchez became one of the many talent-search contest winners with Filipino lineage who occasionally popped up in the news. There have been so many singing competitions all over the world, with contestants of Filipino descent, from Australia’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent to Canada’s Got Talent. You are as good only as your last song or performance. It came to a point we thought Sanchez has retired from performing.
And then there’s the global phenomenon, K-pop. Suddenly, singers and performers have to catch up or be left behind.
Many times, she thought of giving it all up and living a normal life away from the limelight.
During the media interview on May 11, 2026 at Novotel Manila, Sanchez recounted how after American Idol, the opportunities to perform and record albums came, but they didn’t last. There were the usual bashers.
“I had haters all over the internet, telling me to just give up. But I refuse to settle. I love singing and performing. So, I have this mindset of not giving up,” she said.
“There are others who told me to continue and I am happy there are still those who believe in me,” she added.
But those years when she almost faded into oblivion, she realized she needed to improve her craft, to upskill.
There’s the innate confidence in being Filipino. “I used to tell myself and others, I am a Filipino. I am a born singer. Singing is in our DNA. I got this,” she said, laughing. Then again, she admitted she has yet to learn to speak well in Filipino.
“Kidding aside. Before, I used to do it all by myself. I sang and performed and that’s it. Pure instinct. But along the way, I knew I had to get a vocal coach and I learned a lot about discipline.
“I’ve long realized my voice is a gift and I have to take care of my gift. I have to keep my voice healthy all the time. I can say, I am more disciplined now.”
She also poured her heart into composing songs.
“The past few years I am kind of strengthening my writing skills. I’m a perfectionist and it’s very challenging to be open and vulnerable. But I see it as an opportunity to share my own personal wins and pains,” she said.
A decade has passed since we saw Jessica performing at a bar ironically named Chaos, and now she has made a real comeback.
Coming from quarterfinals to win the grand prize in America’s Got Talent (AGT) Season 20, she was in her third trimester of pregnancy.
“I wish I had a camera all the time so people could see what’s going on behind the scenes. Since my belly was very big, my diaphragm was pushed upward,” she said. Naturally, her breathing and eventually, singing was affected. At some point, she felt her voice was gone.
“I had to teach myself to sing again. My vocal coach has been a big help,” she said.
She was suddenly trending in social media when she kept impressing AGT judges Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, Mel B and the hard-to-please Simon Cowell.
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When she made it to the finals, she announced on Sept. 15, 2025 on her official Facebook page that she was on her ninth month of pregnancy. Her husband is Rickie Gallardo, who keeps a low profile. (The name sounding familiar, just to be sure, we sent a message to our dear old colleague in the entertainment beat, writer-talent manager Ricky Gallardo, who told us, he’s not the Rickie Gallardo.)
Rickie is an American with Hispanic descent. He works as lighting technician.
Sanchez wrote: “My heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the love and kind words that have been pouring in. I never imagined I’d be spending these final weeks of pregnancy away from home, in the middle of such an exciting competition. I truly believe God’s plan is greater than my own. This journey has been so unexpected, yet so beautiful, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. “
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Fourteen days later, there was the final competition. When she sang her winning piece, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ piece Die With A Smile, on Sept. 24, 2025, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California, she was wearing what looked like a white maternity dress with white robe, showing her nine-month baby bump.
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“That was a really scary moment. But I just kicked myself in the butt and showed up,” she said.
She won the $1-million grand prize and earned the hearts of millions around the world. The Philippines hailed her like some national hero who gave the country back its pride and honor at a time corrupt politicians and corrupt government officials in the flood-control scandal had dumped the Filipino sense of pride in the gutter.
She gave birth to Eliana Mae Gallardo on Oct. 13, 2025.
“For a few days after giving birth, I was crying a lot,” she said. It’s a mixed feeling of joy and the expected post-partum depression.
She started recording her eight-track album titled SZN just a few days after winning the AGT finals.
It’s her second full-length album after her debut album in 2013, titled Me, You & the Music. She had several EPs (extended plays with a maximum of six songs) in between.
“Now, being 30 years and a mother, all I could think of is my daughter.” She’d sometimes bring her baby to the recording studio.
SZN was released May 8. It includes Stronger Than Before, a collaboration with Filipina singer Morissette Amon, and Two Lines, which she wrote for her daughter.
“Whenever I am at home, I spent a lot of time in our backyard. I am a quiet person and I pour my thoughts into songs.”
She realized it’s more fulfilling to sing her own songs than interpreting others’ compositions. “It’s like sharing myself, through music, to the audience,” she said.
Still, she thought of slowing down a bit.
“For the past couple of months, I feel I’m in cloud 9. I’ve been traveling a lot. When my daughter had a fever, I was panicking. Am looking forward to rest a bit and just taking care of my baby.”
Another question was about her voice being good enough for musical theater. Would she go into acting and singing onstage?
“Oh, my goodness,” she said with a look of surprise. “I’ve performed songs from musical theater but I have no plans yet. I am open to try new things, like theater. I don’t want to put myself in a box. If an opportunity comes, I’d just go with the flow.”
One of the challenging questions was what would she give up in life for her baby. Without hesitation, Sanchez said, “I would give up everything and anything for my daughter. You know the song Risk It All by Bruno Mars? When I sang that, I just wanna cry. Whenever I perform that, I sing that for her. I would give up everything for my child to be happy, healthy and OK.”
“It’s difficult to imagine, yes, (with my career going pretty well) but I can….
“I just think of my baby, my family, followed by my career. I am learning to follow the Lord’s will. I go where He is leading me. In my heart, I give music to the audience what they want and it aligns in doing what I love. Along the way, I am happy on the impact to people’s lives. I guess, I wanna continue as well to inspire others. I hope they start believing in themselves too.
“Most important, my faith in the One up there, in God. My faith has become my foundation. There was really a moment of surrender. To Him up there, I surrendered all my expectations. I gave everything in God’s hands.”
As a music artist, Sanchez didn’t just go on to fulfill a childhood dream. She became an inspiration to millions all over the world.
Yes, she’s Filipino. She got this. Now, if only she could speak the language.
