Union Tribune—Column: What is ‘American Idol’ sensation Jessica Sanchez doing now?

Credit to: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/columnists/story/2021-04-29/where-is-american-idol-sensation-jessica-sanchez-now

Now at age 25 Sanchez is truly finding her own voice.

“I know it’s been a few years since I released anything, but I needed to take that time to figure out who I am and be comfortable to use my voice,” she says.

The daughter of a Filipina mom and a Mexican-American dad now is doing more than cover songs.

A couple of years ago, she turned her attention to songwriting and is concentrating on creating songs with a message.

“My career has been mostly performance based. I’m now putting part of me in my music. I’m being who I am and being open, voicing my opinions more. For me this is a big step,” says the 5'1" singer, who describes herself as extremely shy and introverted.

Currently she’s focusing on an issue she cares about deeply — Asian-American hate crimes.

Singer/songwriter Jessica Sanchez, 25, is vowing to use her voice for causes such as unity.

Her newest song is an anti-racism anthem called “Us“ that speaks directly to discrimination against Asians in the United States — but in a positive, unifying way.

“I was in Texas in the studio, and I stepped away for a second,” she recalls. “I took an Instagram break and, on my feed, saw videos of Asian-Americans getting beat up ... I didn’t even know things like that were happening,” she says.

“This is something that needs to be talked about. My outlet is music, and I needed to write.”

And write she did, creating her newest tune, “Us.” “Hopefully, I can spread awareness about this and be a voice for the Asian community,” Sanchez explains.

She has assembled a creative team to jumpstart her career, and they have joined her in reaching out to other performers, influencers and people with a fan base to collaborate on the song’s video.

One of the participants is “Shark Tank” judge and entrepreneur Mark Cuban. Sanchez says it was “huge” to her that Cuban was willing to show his support and give his time to the project.

The video also includes singers she has performed with over the years, including Apl.de.ap, Black Eyed Peas, Liane V, Ne-Yo, Patrick Starr, and others.

The song and video are targeted for digital media release on May 7.

Sanchez explains that, while she has experienced racism, her exposure was minimal compared to the pandemic-inspired hostility that is taking place today.

The discrimination she faced was related more to her music career and involved managers or producers who discouraged her from pursuing a certain type of music because it didn’t fit with her Asian heritage. “I felt like I couldn’t accomplish things because of my race,” she says.

“It was a hard thing to overcome mentally, but I understand what it feels like to say you can’t do this because of the color of your skin or the way you look. I have never let that bring me down,” she adds. “My mom raised me to never give up, to never be limited because of my race.”

Sanchez says she is not one to dwell on the negative, so this song is her way of “bringing people together to support the Asian community and other groups that are being racially profiled.”

This isn’t the first time the diminutive singer with the super-sized vocal cords has spoken out through her performances. In 2017, she sang the national anthem at a Raiders/L.A. Chargers football game in Oakland and took a knee, à la Colin Kaepernick, near the end of the song.

Like Kaepernick, she got a lot of heat for her visual statement. “It was very controversial and intense,” she recalls. “I did get a lot of messages, but I’ve learned you’re not going to please everyone.”

She vows to continue using her voice and her platform on behalf of people who don’t have a voice. She has another EP in the works, which will be released as a series of singles.

Meanwhile Sanchez is branching out into acting. Describing her past appearance on TV’s “Glee” series as more of a singing than an acting role, she views this as a new adventure.

She currently splits her time between Houston and Chula Vista, but that may soon temporarily change. She has been cast in an independent feature movie to be filmed beginning in July in Los Angeles and the Philippines. Sanchez stars as a Filipina nurse during the Covid-19 pandemic who sings to patients to help them heal.

“I haven’t had the chance to be who I am,” says Sanchez. “I was just a singer. Now I’m coming into my artistry.”