EXCLUSIVE: ‘AGT’ Star Jessica Sanchez on Competing While Pregnant: ‘Blessed to Have So Much on My Plate’
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 4 minutes
Singer Jessica Sanchez appeared on the very first season America’s Got Talent when she was just 10 years old. She’s now competing on Season 20 of the show, having received the Golden Buzzer from judge Sofia Vergara in her audition. Jessica recently spoke to Talent Recap about her choice to come back to music, as well as what it’s been like to compete while pregnant with her first child.
Jessica Sanchez Shares Why Took a Break from Music
Jessica reached the Semifinals of AGT Season 1 in 2006. She later competed on American Idol Season 11, reaching second place. The singer told Talent Recap about her decision to step away from the spotlight before ultimately returning to the AGT stage.
“A lot of amazing doors were opened after AGT,” Jessica, who recently turned 30, said of her first run on the show. “I really believed in myself, I pushed myself, but I was really, really young. And I didn’t know who I was.”
Jessica explained that she felt “tugged back and forth” as a young artist, with people telling her different songs to sing and clothes to wear. She added that she “lost sight of why I was chasing the dream,” and she “needed to take that break and not think about music for a couple of years.”
“I needed that to really find out who I was not only as an artist, but also as a woman,” Jessica shared. “And now I’m back stronger, better, confident, and with a better foundation of who I am and what I want, and what I don’t want. And now I’m able to come back and do this for myself, and that feels super empowering for me.”
Jessica also shared her advice for other young people, saying, “If you’re feeling overwhelmed, and if you kind of are confused with what’s going on in your life and it’s a little chaotic, maybe slow down and take a breather, and kind of just have some grace on yourself.”
SEE ALSO: MEET ‘AGT’ GOLDEN BUZZER SINGER JESSICA SANCHEZ
Jessica Talks About Competing While Pregnant
During her audition for AGT Season 20, Jessica told the judges that she’s currently expecting her first child with husband Rickie Gallardo. She told Talent Recap that she found out she was pregnant not long after she decided to audition for the show.
Rather than feeling overwhelmed about being pregnant while competing, Jessica said that she actually feels “blessed to have these opportunities and have so much on my plate,” adding, “I feel really fed, and I feel full of just love and excitement for the future.”
Jessica revealed on Instagram last month that she and her husband are planning to name their baby girl Eliana. As for when she’ll give birth, the singer told Talent Recap that she’s due “in the middle of October.” She added that if she advances all the way to the finale of Season 20, she “will be very pregnant.”
“I feel like it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and to be able to be on stage with my baby in my belly and do this with her, I feel like I’m on cloud nine,” Jessica said.
Jessica Shares Her Advice for Other Women
Jessica said she’s been asked about how having a baby might affect her career, to which she responded, “I feel like if anything, it’s motivating me even more. It’s pushing me to do even bigger and better things for myself and for my family, and to be an inspiration to my children one day.”
“The public can be kind of hard on women, with our age and how we look,” Jessica acknowledged. “I’m also Filipino-Mexican, too, in this industry. So it is hard to navigate sometimes. I’ve been kind of stopped from doing things because of my race as well.”
She encouraged other women “to continue to believe in yourself” and not to “let whatever the world says, their limits and their standards, affect how far you take it.” Jessica also emphasized that “having a child is not gonna stop you” from pursing your dreams.
Having received a Golden Buzzer in her audition, Jessica automatically moved on to the live shows. She is currently scheduled to perform in the third week of the Season 20 Quarterfinals.
