Jessica (finally!) opens up

MANILA, Philippines - There was a certain question thrown at Jessica Sanchez during Monday’s presscon about her ancestry. Apparently, there’s a rumor going around about her roots — that she’s actually a full-blooded Filipino. A visibly puzzled Jessica replied, “My dad is Mexican and he’s my biological father. His name is Gilbert Sanchez,” stressing with a wide smile what already has been said and written, “I’m half-Filipino and half-Mexican.”

But being half-Filipino doesn’t make her feel any less Filipino — “I’m proud of both my cultures,” the American Idol (AI) Season 11 first runner-up said — more so now with her repeated trips post-AI to the home country of her mom Edita and maternal grandparents (from Bataan and Sampaloc, Manila), whom The STAR also met during the one-on-one after the presscon at Sofitel.

When Supertyphoon Yolanda tore through central Philippines a month ago, Jessica was among the first celebrities who took to Twitter to sympathize with the victims. The singer would reiterate it during the presscon, saying, “I was really, really devastated by this tragedy.”

Jessica is doing her part to help via the early release of her charity single Lead Me Home, which is part of the Heartbeat of Home album (a collection of all-originals by Golden Globe-nominated composer Brian Byrne with lyrics by award-winning writer Joseph O’Connor) under the Decca/Universal Music Classics (MCA Music/Universal Music Philippines). It’s a haunting and fitting song that showcases Jessica’s strong and soaring vocals. For every Lead Me Home single sold, $0.90 will be donated to the Red Cross to support the typhoon victims. Jessica, who won Filipino fans over during her stint at the AI 2012, said that this is her way of giving back, “I cannot thank my kababayan enough.”

This recent visit of hers is also for the Starkey Hearing Foundation, a member NGO of the Clinton Global Initiative that has “brought the gift of hearing” to more than 100 countries, including the Philippines. She joined the foundation in providing hearing aids to underprivileged beneficiaries in General Santos City, Lipa City, Batangas and here in Metro Manila. 

Jessica is thankful for the opportunity to travel to other parts of the country and consequently, be more educated about the Philippines and its culture. In a previous interview with The STAR, when she first came here late last year, Jessica admitted to having very little knowledge about the Philippine culture, having been born and raised in the US.

Now, “it’s getting better,” said Jessica, also sharing, “(Everywhere I went) everybody’s been the same. Beautiful, welcoming people. Filipinos everywhere are just like that. The country looks amazing, it’s so green and so beautiful. Even with people, you know, being poor and not having much, it’s still a beautiful country because people aren’t torn down by it. They are still happy with their families, you don’t see them complaining at all.”

These experiences “pushed” her to do some more. She and her mom went to a Manila mall the other day and bought stuff like sandals, toys and clothes and distributed them out in an area in Batangas. “We were kinda like Santa Claus for a second,” said Jessica, also recalling that the kids eventually recognized her even as they tried to be as low-key as possible. “I don’t know how they did it, but they noticed so fast. But it was an awesome experience seeing those kids so happy. I love giving back to people, especially those who don’t have that much. I’m happy to do these things with Starkey and happy to be able to do this by myself.”

She was also happy to do some sight-seeing and “I actually got to try the tricycle, it was so much fun,” adding that “I’m making it a personal mission to get on a jeepney,” whether on this trip or on her scheduled return on New Year for an event for Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.

Recently, Jessica also made countrymen proud for rendering the National Anthem flawlessly at the Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight in Macau like, as some pundits pointed out, she has sung it all her life. 

“As soon as people found out that I was singing the Philippine National Anthem, they told me to try to sing it as traditional as possible,” related Jessica who was invited by Manny on Twitter to sing both the Philippine and US national anthems, â€œso I looked up the most traditional version, which is Lea Salonga’s and I just listened and listened to it till I caught on. I sang it to my grandmother, she said about two words that are wrong in pronunciation. (Her Lola Virginia said one of it was “Silanganan.”) I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not going to get this.’ But eventually I did and people approved of my rendition. I’m so happy I made my people proud.”

She might work anew with the Pacman for a concert, if talks are to be believed, but she isn’t confirming the gig yet, only saying that “it would really be cool.”

Jessica said of Pacman: “He’s a true inspiration. He’s this big topnotch guy and that doesn’t stop him from giving back to his people. It’s amazing seeing that. He also joined us during the Starkey mission in GenSan.”

On top of her visits to the Philippines, it’s been a busy year for Jessica since American Idol 2012. She released her debut record Me, You & The Music, performed in such high-profile events as the Democratic National Convention and at the White House before US President Barack Obama and the First Family, and appeared on the hit TV musical Glee. All this exposure has upped her confidence as a performer, she said, and it shows.  

“This past year, a lot of good things happened. I told myself I need to open myself up more. At first, I was a very, very shy girl. I was a lot more shy when I first came here,” said Jessica who dreamt of a singing career since she was 10 when she also competed in another reality contest America’s Got Talent. “Slowly, I’m becoming more of an open box. You know, I really just want people to know who I really am. I’m not boring. I do have a personality (laughs).”

After the three occasions this writer has interviewed her, Jessica has remained noticeably down-to-earth, and she has her Filipina mom and whole family to credit for that. 

“My mom keeps me grounded. We’re very family-oriented. When I move, my family moves. I moved from San Diego to L.A. and I brought my whole family with me. I said, ‘I’m not living by myself, come with me.’ I could be traveling the world right now by myself because I’m 18 already, but we Filipinos like to stick together, have our families around and that’s how I am and I’m proud of that.”