Jessica Sanchez

“Music has always been my passion. It was not a hobby or something I can take out of my life.”

“I have a picture with Obama in my house, and I freak out every time I see it. I'm like, 'What the heck? Did that even happen?' It's like a dream.”

“I've been training myself and listening to other artists and seeing where their emotion comes from, singing a heartbreak song when they're in a happy relationship.”

“Right after 'Idol,' I was like, 'I've got to become a totally different person. I gotta upgrade myself.' I can't just stand there and be all shy and sing.”

“I remember Steven Tyler coming up to me once. He was like, 'Oh my god, you have a God given talent,' and I freaked out. He's so sweet.”

“I wanna be more like the Rihanna kind of, Beyonce kind of thing, but I don't want to compare myself to anybody, because I wanna be somebody new, too.”

“It's important to work hard, stay humble, and not let the criticism or the compliments go to your head.”

“I know when to have fun, but when it comes to my music, I'm really serious about my career.”

“In the U.S., no one minds who I am, even if they saw me in 'Idol.' If I'm not doing any shows, my friends and I can just drive around the neighborhood and go to bars at night and chill till four in the morning.”

“I have always wanted to do a Christmas album and covers.”

“But I'm really into old music - bluesy, soulful singers, like Etta James, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. I wouldn't have minded being born in the 1960s!”

“I want to do more urban R&B with a little bit of pop, but not much. I want to have that soulful kind of side of me come out.”

“This is going to seem odd, but I love Eminem because he has so much conviction and emotion in the way he raps. Every word that he raps, you feel it.”

“'Idol' was more of a competition, and that was more of a platform that I wanted to get a hold of and get on top of. And I finally got that opportunity, and now it's more like, I just gotta show and prove myself to everybody that I'm not just the 'balladeer.'”

“I don't speak Filipino or Spanish, but I've sung in both.”

“'Proud Mary' was the best song for me to perform because it was so much fun.”

“During 'Idol,' I wasn't expecting anything. I just wanted to survive the competition, but my album and my music are a big part of who I am. Hopefully it translates well and I keep growing as an artist.”

“I've been in the 'Idol' bubble, and now it's popped, and I don't know what's going to happen.”

“I've been homeschooled since ninth grade.”

“Music has always been a huge part of my life.”