Jessica Sanchez

'I Will Always Love You' performance puts San Diego high school student at top of pack

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thursday, March 8, 2012, 12:02 PM

Contestant Jessica Sanchez performs onstage on ‘American Idol’ Wednesday night.

LOS ANGELES — Gutsy “American Idol” contestant Jessica Sanchez took on Whitney Houston’s biggest hit, delivering a performance that awed the show’s judges.

When host Ryan Seacrest asked the panel to name Wednesday night’s top two singers among the 13 finalists, Steven Tyler was ready.

“Jessica Sanchez and Jessica Sanchez,” Tyler said.

The 16-year-old San Diego high school student’s assured version of “I Will Always Love You” was “just amazing. I don’t even know what to say,” Jennifer Lopez exclaimed during the performance show.

“Jessica, you may be the one. You just made 40 million people cry,” Tyler said (adding a dose of hyperbole by roughly doubling the show’s biggest Wednesday night audience for the season so far).

Randy Jackson didn’t hold back either, calling Sanchez “one of the best talents in the whole country.”

On the Fox show’s 400th episode, the men tackled Stevie Wonder’s catalogue and the women choose from Houston’s hits, a tribute to the singer who died Feb. 11, on the eve of the Grammy Awards, at age 48.

“I Will Always Love You” was played at the conclusion of Houston’s New Jersey church funeral last month.

The “American Idol” finalists performed as the Fox show marked its 400th episode. In a twist, the male and female singers who rank lowest in the audience vote will be announced Thursday and the judges will decide which of the two will be bounced.

Others who impressed the judges included Joshua Ledet, 19, of Westlake, La., with his version of “I Wish”; Hollie Cavanaugh, 18, of McKinney, Texas, with “All the Man I Need,” Colton Dixon, 20, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., with “Lately,” and Phillip Phillips, 21, of Leesburg, Ga., with “Superstition.”

Areosmith frontman Tyler offered Phillips an intriguingly enigmatic review.

“You’re a very interesting character, man. You got a lot of ‘fuhgeddaboutit’ in your voice. There’s no words for it. You just are. You know what I’m saying,” Tyler said.

Skylar Laine’s version of “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” was another standout.

“You’re a country girl .... But what you just proved, you can sing any song,” Jackson told the 18-year-old from Brandon, Miss.

The judges were not uniformly kind.

Elise Testone, 28, of Charleston, S.C., who performed “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” fell short with the panel, which praised her talent but not what Lopez called her “unsure” performance.

Shannon Magrane, 16, of Tampa, Fla., let her nerves get in the way on “I Have Nothing,” Jackson said, and Tyler suggested she might be in trouble in the audience vote.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/american-idol-judges-impressed-teenager-jessica-sanchez-whitney-houston-cover-article-1.1035402

'American Idol' 2012: Is Jessica Sanchez the Season 11 winner already?

American Idol | March 8, 2012

Connie Ann Kirk

With the theme of the night being Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston songs, there arrived an elephant in the room on Wednesday night's American Idol. The elephant's name was "I Will Always Love You." Would any of the women singers dare to take the iconic song on, and how bad will the performance be if she does? The twelfth of 13 performances of the night answered both questions, and people from the Internet to radio and television airwaves are talking about it Thursday morning.

Jessica Sanchez, a 16-year-old (yes, 16) from San Diego, California was the singer who decided she'd have a go at the song. Older singers before her, namely Elise Testone, 28, had been advised against singing one of Whitney Houston's more recognizable ballads by this week's coaches, music executive Jimmy Iovine and recording artist, Mary J. Blige. However, Ms. Sanchez was advised to hold the notes and move up on the song she chose carefully by Ms. Blige, and she stuck with it.

The show's producers know when they have something, of course. Backlit in a solid blue dress and with wind and fog machines ratcheting up the dramatic atmosphere significantly on stage, Ms. Sanchez emerged from the light like a young Whitney Houston acolyte. Her youth and inexperience showed, but her voice was mostly enpoint, and she picked up the nuances of Ms. Houston's play with the notes.

What's more, she hit the high notes as well...and held them. Taking the end of the song and singing it under the hot spotlight of a close camera angle, she brought many members of the audience to tears with the three final rising notes at the end of the song, singing them so close to the way Ms. Houston sang them that it was almost as though the veteran singer were channeling through her and rooting her on from somewhere beyond. It wasn't perfect or rock solid, but it had enough of what people remember so well from the song to bring out emotion in the audience.

No one sings like Whitney Houston could sing, but young Jessica Sanchez made a good effort and a fair representation. Her performance was enough to make judge Steven Tyler say, "Jessica, you may be the one. You just made 40 million people cry."

What do you think of Jessica Sanchez's gutsy choice? Did she do a good job, or are people overreacting to her performance, perhaps out of missing Whitney Houston, who died unexpectedly just a few weeks ago at the young age of 48?

http://www.examiner.com/young-adult-pop-culture-in-national/american-idol-2012-is-jessica-sanchez-the-season-11-winner-already

i was really, REALLY impressed with her performance.

it was stronger than most performers in the past or that i've seen.

hopefully it won't go as Pia's path, was it last year?

i liked Pia and was rooting for her and she didn't get through.

we'll see but this girl gots voice.

I don't like her.

I feel like although she has the technique down pat, there's nothing exciting about her.

Her voice isn't unique or distinctive. It just sounds like another any other female who happens to have a good voice. Like the tone of her voice is very common place. I think if she had songs on the radio, I would never be able to guess it's her singing.

She's also kinda boring imo. I like most of the female contestants this season (that are still in the competition) more than her.

She's simply amazing.

With the amount of people who knew about her from the first season of America's Got Talent and her youtube fanbase, she has an incredible chance of winning this season!

American Idol: Will.i.am nicknames Jessica Sanchez

Jane Lasky

March 14, 2012

On American Idol for the top 12 performance show, Jessica Sanchez sings a song from the year of her birth: The Gloria Estefan hit Turn the Beat Around.

Sanchez is undeniably one major talent even though she is only 16 years old, born in 1995. But this evening's effort wasn't the San Diegan's best, earning this songstress some constructive criticism from the AI judges.

But before that happened, American Idol mentor-of-the-week helped out the young crooner, dubbing Sanchez Swaggernaut in the process.

But Swaggernaut is not up to par for the contestant who blasted I Will Always Love You last week with the polish of a pro.

This week is different, with Jessica Sanchez having trouble hearing and with the American Idol judges noticing the difficulty.

Jennifer Lopez had a problem with Jessica's rhythm issue, and JLo told Sanchez that this song delivery wasn't her best. Meanwhile, Steven Tyler wasn't thrilled, and said she shouldn't "stray" too far from singing ballads while Randy Jackson told her when going forward to "pick something...that you can really play with and make your own.

And so, on American Idol for March 14, Jessica Sanchez wasn't on top of her game, but she will probably still be in the game come next week because, as Jackson told her, "You are one of the greatest in the competition."

http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-national/american-idol-will-i-am-nicknames-jessica-sanchez-jlo-critiques-her-rhythm

Jessica Sanchez: 'Everybody Has a Dream'

Mar 21, 2012

Phillip Phillips and Heejun Han may not have welcomed Tommy Hilfiger's advice, but Jessica Sanchez couldn't be happier. And Tommy's happy, too, saying she could be both a music icon and a fashion icon.

Diddy's not so impressed with her performance of Everybody Has a Dream. He doesn't believe it, and he thinks she's over-singing. Plus, she's got too much vibrato. "Tricks are not going to get you to that superstar level." Jimmy makes her sing the song again while looking straight at Diddy, and she convinces him with a much more restrained performance.

Fortunately, she remembers his advice as she starts the song on stage. Jessica has amazing control of her voice for such a young person, but she's still drawn to flashy, glitzy stuff, whether it's clothes or vocal runs. Fortunately, she uses the vocal tricks as accessories on this performance, and not as the outfit. She shows off a little too much at the end, but who cares?

Not the judges. They give her a standing ovation.

"You've gone way past my judging," says Steven. "Thank you for letting me hear you sing, baby."

"That song was, like, written for you," Jennifer says. "That was a defining moment for you."

"You're flawless," Randy says. "It was perfect." And he complements everybody on their mentoring, because it clearly made a difference.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2012/03/jessica-sanchez-everybody-has-a-dream/1

She is an awesome singer,I like he singing too much.....

Jessica Sanchez: 'Sweet Dreams'

Mar 28, 2012

By Brian Mansfield, USA TODAY

Jessica Sanchez has idolized Beyoncé since age 7, though she has given up on trying to do her moves. Stevie Nicks thinks she's a good student, and she loves the way she has slowed down Sweet Dreams.

Jessica begins the song accompanied only by a harp. It's a dramatic effect, especially when combined with Jessica's voice, which is perfectly controlled. The band fleshes out the arrangement as the song builds, but you hardly notice. Jessica's that much in charge. Wow. Just wow.

"That was a really, really beautiful rendition of that," Jennifer says. "You left all of us wanting more, and that's what great performers do."

"I think you're a star, no matter what," Steven says. "I liked how you held it back a little bit. You really know your notes."

"Stars are truly born," says Randy, who's impressed by the maturity she has at her age. He called Jessica "one of the best singers he's heard" in years, and added that Jessica "told a beautiful story in a beautiful way." "I look forward to hearing you every night."

Material girls: Skylar, Hollie and Jessica tackle Madonna

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2012/03/jessica-sanchez-sweet-dreams/1

Jessica Sanchez: 'How Will I Know'

Apr 04, 2012

Gwen Stefani loves Jessica's voice, but she'd like to see her move in ways that are more unique and less like a lounge singer. So Jessica's going to reveal her alter ego, BB Chez.

"She's going to nail it," Gwen says. "It's going to be awesome."

Whitney Houston's breakthrough hit How Will I Know, a great girl-pop number, is the perfect sort of song for a young singer like Jessica who, as great as she has been the past couple weeks, doesn't want to seem unnaturally mature. It's a marvelous addition to the image we've become familiar with. And, of course, she sings the fire out of it.

"Well, that's two powerhouse vocals in a row," Jennifer says.

"Everything you do is beautiful," says Steven. "Everything you do is great."

Randy notes that he worked on that song. "You did an amazing job. Those are big shoes to fill." Whitney sang effortlessly, he says, but so did Jessica.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2012/04/jessica-sanchez-how-will-i-know/1

Joshua and Jessica teamed up for Aretha Franklin and George Michael's I Knew You Were Waiting For Me,

which earned the pair a standing ovation from the judges.

Jessica Sanchez sings"Stuttering" - Steven Tyler commented, "Every time I hear you sing, I forget

where I am." Randy Jackson commented, "I loved the arrangement that you did with the song; it was

kind of like Shirley Murdock. You really set the bar high tonight."

'Idol' Judges Storm Stage; Use Save For Standout Contestant

Access Hollywood – 12 hours ago

"American Idol" had a stage invasion on Thursday night, when the judging panel leapt from their table after one of the favorites to win Season 11 was forced to sing for the save.

It was teenager Jessica Sanchez who was told she had the fewest amount of votes on Thursday, and while performing for the judges in hopes of staying on the competition, Jennifer Lopez stormed on to the stage, followed by Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson.

Jennifer quickly grabbed the mic from a stunned 16-year-old Jessica, who just moments before had been in the bottom 3 with Joshua Ledet and Elise Testone.

"Give me that mic, this is crazy! Yes, we're using the save, you ain't going home. Go sit down, go sit down," Jennifer said, nudging Jessica to join her fellow "Idol" contenders. "Go sit down!"

Already shocked, the crowd quickly stood up and began screaming over the exciting moment.

Randy then chimed in.

"We are saving Jessica, without any doubt. Let me just say this. For myself, Steven and Jennifer, this girl is one of the best singers in America! Ever!" he said. "Are you kidding me? Please everybody... Please vote for the best, it's about finding the best. I mean, come on!"

Ryan Seacrest then asked Jessica, who many had picked to make it far in the competition, if she expected the save.

"I don't expect anything," the shocked teen said. "I just do what I do and you know whatever happens, happens. And I just want people to know that I've been working hard my whole life."

As a result of the save, two contestants will be eliminated next week.

http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/idol-judges-storm-stage-save-standout-contestant-012146944.html

Wow, so that's the big shock and twist I'd heard about on the news.  To be honest, I don't follow AI anymore as I think the novelty has pretty much worn out on me.

But as a fellow San Diegan and Filipino, I'm rooting for her.

'We're so glad we saved you': Jessica Sanchez comes out fighting on American Idol after last week's dramatic escape from elimination

By Eleanor Gower

PUBLISHED: 06:10 GMT, 19 April 2012 | UPDATED: 14:30 GMT, 19 April 2012

She dramatically escaped elimination last week when the American Idol judges used their one 'save' of the season to keep her in the contest.

And 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez came out fighting on tonight's show, blowing the judges away with two impressive performances.

'Your talent is so otherworldly to me,' judge Randy Jackson told the teenager after her mature performance of Alicia Keys's Falling. 'I don't even know how good you really are and how great you can be I love it.'

She impressed all the judges with a mature rendition, promping Jennifer to declare: 'I'm so glad you're here with us. I'm so glad we had a save and I'm so glad we used it on you.'

The San Diego native joined six other finalists singing two songs - one number one hit released between the year 2000 and the present day, and then one 'soul song from back in the day.'

Jessica chose Otis Redding's Try a Little Tenderness for her soul song and performed it with pitch perfect vocals, although the judges all said she needed more emotion.

Jennifer said: 'We got to start pushing your performances, while Randy said: 'Where you should grow there is connecting with the lyric, The public respond to the emotion. You can sing like nobody's business.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2131888/American-Idol-2012-Jessica-Sanchez-comes-fighting-weeks-escape-elimination.html

‘American Idol’ Hopeful Jessica Sanchez Shows Vocal Prowess on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ + ‘Dance With My Father’

by: Brittany Joy Cooper 2 days ago

It’s down to the final six in ‘American Idol’ after Colton Dixon was eliminated last week. Now, with the stakes high and no saves left for the judges to exercise, the remaining hopefuls seem to understand just how serious the competition has become.

After a little locker room pep talk from original Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May, the Top 6 took the stage with the rockers for a medley of classic Queen songs. Jessica Sanchez sang ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ followed by a rendition of Luther Vandross’ ‘Dance with My Father.’

Following the mashup of ‘Fat Bottomed Girls,’ ‘Another One Bites The Dust,’ ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are the Champions,’ Sanchez was the first to take the stage for her solo performance. Bringing the classic 1975 hit ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to the ‘Idol’ stage, 17-year-old Sanchez put a beautiful melodic spin on the song, but never quite landed in the realm of the screaming rocker energy that made Freddie Mercury so dynamic.

But you’ve got to hand it to her — it really was a pretty version of the song. We weren’t positive how we felt about the three giant pictures of her head singing on the screen behind her, but we get that it was a throwback to the band’s original music video.

After the songstress’ performance wrapped, the judges were overall positive, with Steven Tyler pointing out that rock definitely isn’t Sanchez’ forte but that she was great nonetheless. Perhaps the most positive, Randy Jackson said, “I actually loved it because what you did was you also used that great restraint.” He suggested that she watch some videos of Tina Turner and try to channel the femme rocker’s vibe.

For her second song, Sanchez dug deep and made it extremely personal with Luther Vandross’ ‘Dance with My Father.’ The self-proclaimed “daddy’s girl” said her own father has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in the past and he’s getting ready for another deployment to Singapore. Though he couldn’t make it tonight, he’s going to be at Thursday’s live show.

Looking stunning in a bright yellow dress, Sanchez put every ounce of her being into the song, showing her vocal range and age-defying ability, and there were some tears in those pretty brown eyes by the end. We’re guessing one proud papa was watching his little girl tonight. And the judges weren’t any less proud, singing their praises over the young hopeful.

“That may have been the best I’ve ever heard that song,” J.Lo began. “And we’ve heard a lot of people sing that song. The tenderness, the feeling, your vocal ability – everything.” Steven Tyler offered his two cents next, saying, “I don’t think you could sing a song bad. Your voice is so different than anybody else’s.”

Randy Jackson summed it up, saying, “Every time you get up and sing, you know what’s wrong with it? Absolutely nothing!”

http://popcrush.com/american-idol-jessica-sanchez-bohemian-rhapsody-dance-with-my-father/

American Idol: Jessica Sanchez Does Tina Turner & Joe Cocker Justice

By Alexandra Gratereaux

Published May 03, 201

For this week’s 60’s challenge during the first round of singing on “American Idol,” Jessica Sanchez paid tribute to the dynamite Tina Turner.

The Filipino/Mexican singer took on “Proud Mary,” one of Turner’s most iconic songs, despite Interscope Record exec and Idol mentor Jimmy Lovine warning her not to.

“That’s a very tall order,” said Lovine. “The note [and] the range. Jessica, you got to come to the party,” he added.

Two of the judges, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, as well as this week’s guest mentor Little Steven, a.k.a. Steven Van Zandt, loved the soul-filled performance by Sanchez, but music producer Randy Jackson agreed with Lovine.

“You’re so grown up there!” Lopez said. It’s crazy! I forget you’re 16 years old.”

Lopez then added how she liked that Sanchez made it her own.

“You were a little bit of Tina, a little bit of Beyonce,” said Lopez. “I love seeing you move. Obviously the soul and R&B is more your lane. [but] I like seeing you throw your hair around.”

Rock star Steven Tyler agreed.

“You did it again! That’s It!” Tyler said. “I’m hearing the blues…the stretch, it sounded great.”

Jackson, who last week feuded openly with Lopez over the performance of Elise Testone, got into it again with JLO over Sanchez’s rendition of Turner’s hit tune.

“I was in a different place,” said Jackson. “This performance was OK for me. You got a big ol' voice. [but] I didn’t get anything.”

It was then when Lopez went into Mama Bear mode.

“This is their journey,” she hissed back at Jackson. “You can’t compare a 16-year-old to Tina Turner! She did a great job.”

And when Jackson tried to dispute that, Lopez’s only response was “Whatever,” after giving the Louisiana native producer a glaring look.

“I’m going to fight for my spot in the top four this week,” said Sanchez, after realizing her fate on Idol hangs by a thread with only five contestants left.

As if to shut up Lovine and Jackson, Sanchez then sang Joe Cocker’s “You are so beautiful” and left the room speechless.

“You once again showed America how great your voice is and how beautiful you are,” Tyler said. “You’re going to be number one.”

JLO brought up Sanchez’s dramatic save a few weeks back.

“How could we have let this girl go home? C’mon!” she said. “You did some beautiful things in the end. Great job, Mama.”

Jackson took his comments back from the first performance and congratulated Sanchez on her delivery of the second song.

“So, round two this girl is in the top of the leader board right now,” Jackson said.

“The wisdom that you have and talent that you have... when you can hold a straight note like that.. it’s so pro,” he said. “There’s people that have been singing for 50 years that can’t do that. So good! So good! So good!”

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2012/05/03/american-idol-jessica-sanchez-does-tina-turner-joe-cocker-justice/

I love her voice!! so powerful and passionate!! I really want her win to this season :3

'It's going to be a race to the finish!' Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet emerge as American Idol favourites after powerhouse performances earn rave reviews

By Eleanor Gower

PUBLISHED: 06:14 GMT, 10 May 2012 | UPDATED: 10:09 GMT, 10 May 2012

It may have been Joshua Ledet's night yet again on American Idol, but 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez gave him a run for his money on tonight's show

'It seems like it's going to be a real race to the finish guys. I don't know who's going to win,' Lopez declared after Jessica's second powerful vocal performance.

Earlier, the judges had showered the Joshua, 20, with plaudits after his rendition of James Brown's It's a Man's Man's Man's World - also his second song of the night.

'I think it was the greatest song for you. That was one of the best performances in the history of any singing show, including ours, any show, any show,' declared Randy Jackson. 'If you want to know what singing is really about, and connecting to a lyric, watch Joshua Ledet.'

Steven Tyler added: 'Neither a man nor a woman has ever sang that good with that much compassion on this show ever. I can go home right now. I never heard anything like that in my life.'

Jennifer said: 'I think people at home maybe thought, like I did, that they had seen everything you had to give and how you can interpret a song. We hadn't.'

The judge was quite overcome and ended up speaking in Spanish. 'You're making me speak different languages now!' she said. 'That was sickening.'

Earlier, the wannabe had performed Josh Groban song You Raise Me Up as part of the California themed section of the show.

Randy told him: 'If you are a great singer and a great artist, you can do anything. I loved that. What an amazing artist. You have an amazing career ahead of you.'

However, after earning the judge's only save of the season a few weeks back, Jessica is also clearly also in it to win it.

She won a slew of compliments for her version of Etta James's Steal Away, while her powerful vocals on And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going earned her the second standing ovation of the evening from the judges.

Jennifer said: 'When I think about all the great singers I know right now, you are one of the best. It was a real moment.'

Randy added: 'Your vocals are ridiculous. That girl right there can sing the phone book. Amazing again,' while Steven said the performance was 'over the top.'

Joshua's main male rival, Phillip Phliips was nearly as impressive with his renditions of John Fogerty's Have You Ever Seen the Rain? and the Damien Rice song Volcano in the second half of the show, which explored 'songs the contestants wish they had written.'

'I never expected to make it this far. I'm definitely surprised with myself,' said Phillip, in a section which explored the finalists' journey so far.

'My family and friends are telling me: "You're getting a lot better each week." I'm just going to push myself to go as far as I can.'

His first number went down well with Steven who likened him to Joe Cocker.

Randy added: 'It started off a little rough. But as soon as you start to smile, your whole vibe lightened up. It was sensational from there on out.'

Volcano went down even better, with the judges declaring it a thing of beauty.

Jennifer said: 'After watching the show for many, many years and now being here for two years, it was one of the most beautiful, poignant moments a contestant has ever had,' while Randy said it was one of Phillips best performances of the season.

Steven said: 'I never heard you sing like that before, That was just beautiful.'

Meanwhile, after finding herself in the bottom two for the past few weeks, the pressure was on for Hollie Cavanagh to produce something magical.

Luckily her rendition of Journey song Faithfully went down well with the judges, with Randy telling her: 'You're peaking at the right time in this competition. You did Steve Perry proud. You were right in the zone there.'

Steven added: 'I've watched you blossom and your creativity. Your choice of song tonight was over the top again - beautiful.'

However, she didn't fare so well with her second choice - Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me, which was criticised for its lack of emotion.

'I thought it fell a little short,' said Steven, while Jennifer thought it had 'a little too much vibrato.'

Randy said the choice of song gave the 18-year-old Texan: 'Nowhere to go,' adding: 'You need moments. You got this enormous big voice. But there were no moments for me. For me, it was the wrong choice at the wrong time.'

Other highlights in the show included the four finalists performing Foreigner song Waiting for a Girl Like You, which was linked to new film Rock of Ages.

Host Ryan Seacrest's girlfriend Julianne Hough, who is in the movie, was in the audience to promote it, which led Ryan to jokingly pretending to propose to the actress, but ended up just handing her a note to give to co-star Tom Cruise.

Joshua and Phillip duetted on a version of Maroon 5's This Love, which Jennifer declared 'An unexpected treat.'

However Jessica and Hollie's version of The Bangles Eternal Flame didn't go down so well with Randy even declaring the vocal 'weird.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2142187/American-Idol-2012-Jessica-Sanchez-Joshua-Ledet-earn-rave-reviews.html

Jessica Sanchez Delivers Explosive Performance Of 'And I Am Telling You'

The Huffington Post | By Lee Hernandez

Posted: 05/10/2012 11:49 am Updated: 05/10/2012 2:30 pm

And we thought last week was good...

On last night's episode of "American Idol," the final four were tasked with performing California-themed songs and personal faves they wished they'd written. 16-year-old contestant Jessica Sanchez took on two classic singers: Etta James ("Steal Away,") and Jennifer Holiday ("And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going").

While the part-Mexican, part-Filipina singer sang the first song beautifully (the gorgeous runs in her voice were the perfect fit for the blues song!), it was Jessica's second performance of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," that showed off her phenomenal vocal range and solidified her frontrunner status in the competition.

Judge Jennifer Lopez raved about the explosive performance, saying: "This is crazy. With a performance like that, there's nothing to say. Your vocal ability, it's not something you see all the time."

And, Jennifer wasn't the only one who was moved by Jessica's powerful performance last night. Jennifer Holiday, the actress who made the song famous in the 1981 Broadway musical "Dreamgirls," tweeted about how much she loved Jessica's performance last night. "Yes, Jessica's performance of 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going' was absolutely flawless! An amazing voice," she tweeted.

Holiday also had this to say about Jessica. "Jessica Sanchez should be our next American Idol,."

We agree! Just give her the crown, already!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/jessica-sanchez-on-american-idol_n_1506085.html

....I feel like the only, truly successful singer that has come out of this show and hit the mainstream market is Kelly Clarkson. (yea I know abt Carrie Underwood).

and I can't believe this show is still going on. I gave up a million seasons ago.