Jessica Sanchez couldn’t help but look back on the “down seasons” that preceded her career resurgence after winning “America’s Got Talent” in 2025.
The 30-year-old Filipino-Mexican-American vocal powerhouse first appeared on the very first season of “AGT” at age 10, though she didn’t make the cut. Later, as a 16-year-old, she rose to global fame as the runner-up on another reality competition, “American Idol.”
The years that followed weren’t always smooth.
Responding to a question from The STAR during a virtual interview, Jessica shared how that long road to her full-circle moment on “AGT,” which was 20 years in the making to be exact, was a test of faith and perseverance.
But the tough, uncertain years in between ultimately strengthened her faith.
“You know, I feel like I’ve seen it all over the Internet when we talk about, you know, me winning AGT this past year,” Jessica told this writer. “Everything I believe is God’s timing and I believe that I went through the things that I went through.
“I came in second on ‘Idol,’ and God said — He didn’t say no, but He said not yet,” she said. “And he needed me to really build my character through the down times, through the quiet times.”
During those periods, Jessica readily admitted that she began to question whether she was really meant for the music industry.
“I actually stepped away from music for a while. I mean, of course I would post, you know, singing covers and stuff, but I really was struggling with, you know, is this for me?” she said. “I’ve been doing this for so long and I feel like there’s no breakthrough moment for me.”
As expected, those doubts took a toll on her.
“I just was really depressed with my music career,” Jessica further noted. “I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
What kept her going was the faith that music wasn’t done with her yet. “Twenty years later, I come back on ‘AGT,’ just kind of like… another chance,” she said. “And God really answered my prayer that I’ve had for many, many years of those quiet seasons.”
Reflecting on those struggles now, she sees them as part of a bigger plan or purpose.
“Now I really know that God has a mission for me. He has a purpose for me in music,” she said. “And really, really, the Lord is my foundation. Once I got that confirmation through this whole experience, I really am just excited to give back to people who have supported me because honestly, I wouldn’t be here without God’s grace and without the support of all my fans and followers.”
These days, Jessica subscribes to a different outlook on career ups and downs.
She said, “A big thing for me was…and I feel like this is a thing with a lot of creatives, not just in music but in businesses and jobs: I wrapped my identity in my success, of how well I did with my career. So if I was failing in my career, I felt like a failure.”
“I had to go through these low seasons to realize that it’s not my whole identity. It’s just a part of my identity,” she said of learning to separate her identity from her career.
“Now it doesn’t feel like I have to do this. It’s — I get to do this. And it’s such a blessing. It’s a beautiful thing now instead of a stress that I put on myself like, I have to measure up because honestly, there’s so much going on in the world and there’s so many different kinds of people that we will never measure up to.
“So, you find your community, you find your people that will love you when you’re just being authentically you. Those are the things I’ve learned in my down seasons. And as soon as I learned that and I came back to ‘AGT’ being completely myself and knowing who I was within, God really blessed that.”
Jessica hopes her journey can be a teaching moment for those facing similar struggles.
“To people, the artists who are struggling with their down sessions, (my advice is) don’t wrap your whole identity with it. Just enjoy it, love it, This is a beautiful gift from God… and sometimes, you need those low seasons,” she said. “It’s like a roller coaster ride!”
“So, even though I did go through a little depressed season with where I was in my career, I still had that little bit of faith that drove me to continue to keep fighting for this dream that I’ve had ever since I was a child.
“So keep fighting for your dreams,” Jessica added. “Because for me, it happened 20 years later.”
The STAR and a few other media outlets caught up with the singer, a new mom to a baby girl, Eliana May (which means “God has answered”), during interviews ahead of her homecoming concert in the Philippines on May 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as part of her “Seasons” world tour.
Manila became the first stop of her tour thanks to the efforts of businessman and producer RS Francisco, also Jessica’s longtime friend, in partnership with concert promoter Wilbros Live. According to RS, Jessica will be joined by exciting guests, including her personal idols and OGs from the OPM industry.
For Jessica, the concert is an opportunity to give back to fellow Pinoys.
“Oh my goodness! I’m just so grateful. I cannot find the words to explain how grateful I am. I have been on this journey, people have seen my story and me grow up on TV, and I cannot thank every single supporter enough for following me through these many years. I mean, when I say it’s been 20 years since I was on ‘AGT,’ it has truly been 20 years and that is a long time to stick by somebody’s side,” she said.
“That’s why I really wanted to kick off this concert in the Philippines and do a Tagalog EP because just as the Filipino community embraced me, I want to embrace them back and give them everything that I have and put them first in this tour.”