I’ll be posting a transcript of Jessica Sanchez conference call later today. In the meantime, check out media interviews from around the web.
UPDATE: A transcript of Jessica’s conference call
- Is she relieved it’s over? “I kind of am, but I’m going to miss everything—I’m going to miss the people, I’m going to miss the schedule, and just the whole craziness I’m going to miss it.”
- Can she elaborate on the kind of album she would make? “More like urban R&B and stuff, a little bit of pop, but not much. I want to have that goody kind of side of me, kind of not like bubble gum.”
- On singing with Jennifer Holliday in the Idol finale, “It was so much fun. I mean I was in the moment and so was she, and we were making like the most ridiculous faces I know. We were just really digging deep into our hearts and singing the heck out of that song.”
- On the best advice she received during the Idol season, “I’ve gotten a lot of advice from different people this season, but something that I believed in always, and people told me here …, is keep striving for my dreams, and if I do succeed always stay humble and stay grounded and always remember where I came from.”
- Is there a song she wanted to sing that she couldn’t? “I really wanted to sing a Prince song, it’s called “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore.” I love that song and I really wanted to do it, but Prince isn’t really clearing any songs for any shows right now. So yes.”
- Was she nervous to sing songs by Whitney Houston? On singing “I Will Always Love You” on the finale, “Most definitely, and you know what, they actually pushed that in there a couple hours before the show started, so I didn’t even know I was singing it until a couple hours before the show. It was a shocking moment for me, but I was excited to sing it because I love the song, I love Whitney Houston; I’m glad I got to pay tribute once again.”
- What thoughts were running through her head when she heard the results from Ryan? Was she surprised? “Not at all. I like literally thought–I believed that Phillip was going to win, not because I don’t think I’m good, but he has such a big fan base. We both do and we both thank our fans so much. But he’s really an artist’s artist, like he sang so many different songs and every song that he sang it sounds like Phillip. It always sounds like him, and that’s what it takes to be a real artist. And I’m so proud of him and I’m so happy with him.”
- When will she get home to Chula Vista? What will she do when she gets there? “I’m not sure. I’m not sure exactly when I’m going back home, but I know it’s going to be for maybe a couple days. Yes, I’m most definitely going to just be with my family and try to take it all in and enjoy that moment.”
- On the process of picking and receiving songs from Jimmy and the judges, “For Jimmy Iovine and stuff that was all them. I couldn’t really choose anything; that was really their choices. And for the single, I really had like a day to pick and they didn’t give us many choices, and even that I had to make little adjustments to. So it was very difficult, but now that I do have time and I do have variety and I can choose and look through songs and work with different producers and stuff I’m definitely going to make my single, my real single, something that is 100% me.”
- On the difficulty of coming back after she was saved by the judges from elimination, “It was difficult and it didn’t really affect my confidence; it made me push harder. But I think it was also a bad thing, too, because I think I was pushing too hard and I wasn’t really feeling any of my songs, I was just trying to prove myself, I was focusing on it way too much.”
- Did the feeling go away at some point? “It did go away for a little bit, but then when we had to come to the point where we had to sing songs that the judges picked as your music it was a big challenge, because we didn’t have any say in any choices, like they just gave us songs and we did them.”
- How difficult was it to wait for the results during the 2 hour finale? “I wasn’t nervous about anything. I was actually excited, because I really thought Phillip was going to win and I was so happy for him. I think he deserves it 100%. I was just happy to be there in the top two. I can’t regret anything.”
- Does she think it matters to her career that she didn’t win? “Not at all. Jennifer Hudson came in like seventh place and she is one of the biggest ones on Idol; I have so much respect for her. Hopefully I’m one of those people, and I think all 12 of us are going to have successful careers and I cannot wait.”
- How has being away from her family taken a toll, “It’s hard, it’s difficult, but I’m learning how to cope with it because I’m taking it as like I’m not really doing this for myself. I’m doing this for them, too, so it’s not really like I’m not being there for them.”
- Is she excited to spend more time with them now that the competition is over? “I’m thrilled. I won’t be spending a lot of time with them, I’ll probably get like three days at home, but I’m going to be cherishing every single second I’ve got.”
- Her thoughts on why she came in last the week she was saved, “Well I don’t know. It could have been so many things, and I don’t really like to think about it. I did what I wanted to do that week. I sang a song that nobody really knew from a not very popular artist and I was fine with that, because if I went home then I would go home proud of what I sang and liking what I sang. But I don’t know what it was … because people thought I was safe or maybe more because of my song selection, but I don’t regret anything.
- Was she overwhelmed by the support she got during her hometown visit to San Diego? “I was very overwhelmed. I mean I had never experienced anything like that ever in my life, and it was amazing to have that much support by my hometown. And I can’t wait to go back, and really when I came back for the homecoming story I really wanted to hug every single person that I saw.”
- Does she think it’s possible for a woman to win American Idol? “I have no idea, and I think my only disappointment would be that—the only reason I would have really wanted to win is just to break that whole guy reign and just have a girl win it for once. It didn’t have to be me, it could have been Hollie or Skylar or whatever. But I’m so proud of Phillip and I’m so happy with him. He’s so talented …”
- On the biggest challenge she faces transitioning into a musical career after Idol, “There is a lot of things. Right now we were like in an American Idol bubble, and we were protected by the American Idol staff and we didn’t really get to see what was going on out much in the real world. There’s that, and then the fact that we are known as American Idol contestants and we have to break out and become artists instead of being labeled American Idol contestants. So it’s going to be difficult, but we’re all going to work hard and try to get our names out there as a single person.”
- If she had to choose, would she rather work with Rihanna or Beyonce? “Well I’ll start with I love both of them, but Beyoncé is like she is just an amazing person overall. She seems so sweet and so humble, and she’s very private with her life and she’s an amazing performer; I mean she pretty much can do anything.”
- Did she have any idea before she auditioned that you would make it this far? “Not at all. I didn’t even think that I was going to get two minutes on TV. I mean I was hopeful, but I didn’t even think—yes—I feel blessed to even be in this position right now.”
- If she could go back and change one performance, which would it be? “I mean I don’t think there really would be anything. I mean I went into this competition and I just sang my heart out, and I really have no regrets at all. I made top two; not a lot of people can say that so I’m happy, so I’m content with where I am.”
- On tour, will she be doing a solo tribute to Donna Summer? “I’m not even sure what I’m going to be doing on the tour yet, I mean we’ll see. I’m looking forward to it.”
- Who did she feel early on would be her biggest competition? “All of them—we were all different genres, different types of music style, and it was a difficult one. So it was all a big challenge for not only us, but …. Yes, I thought it was pretty fair and pretty scary, too.”
- What was the high point for her? Her very best performance? Has she heard from famous fans? “I mean I’m not really sure. I mean I loved singing a number of songs on the show and … was the very song that I sang. I have gotten some Tweets from celebrities before, and it’s been a blessing. It’s been a crazy journey and I’m going to miss it.”
- She has mentioned in the past that she’s not the best dancer. Is dancing something she wants to work on and incorporate into her performance? “Most definitely. Yes, I’m really trying to work on that. So we’ll figure it out and hopefully I can get some movement.”
- On Jimmy Iovine’s criticisms of some of her outfits, How much input did she have choosing what she wore? “Okay. I do have a lot of say in what I wear; if I don’t like something I make sure I tell them and they always cooperate and try to fit with what I want. I did love that dress, and I think after watching the performance that I thought it was a bit too much—my hair was big, I was dancing, I had the small dress on—I understand why he was making those comments.”
- Does she have any downtime? Does she plan on going on vacation with her family? “I have like no downtime at all. I have like three days to go home and just relax, but that’s about it and then I get back to work. So I’m excited for those three days, but most definitely I’m going to be working most of the time.”
- What does her Idol journey mean to her? “It really means the world. I’ve been wanting this ever since I was a little girl, and I just want people to know, kids my age, that if you really put your mind to it you can achieve anything that you want. I’ve been doing this ever since I was little and I’ve been working hard ever since I was little, so you just have to put your mind to it and it will happen.”
- Does she have a message for her Filipino fans? “Just I love you guys so much and hopefully we can stop by when we’re on tour. Nothing is confirmed yet, but I would love to.”
- Her favorite Filipino dishes, “I love lumpia and I love sinigang.”
- She’s been tweeting back and forth with Jesse McCartney. Will they do a duet? “Well nothing’s been confirmed yet and I’ve been really busy. So, yes, nothing’s really been done yet or talked about so we’ll see what happens.”
- Closing remarks: “Just want to thank all my fans for supporting me and for giving me the opportunity to make it this far. Thank you so much and love you.”
‘American Idol’ Phillip Phillips ‘Has Everything,’ Jessica Sanchez Says – Despite wishes that a female would finally be crowned “American Idol” after five years of male domination, Jessica Sanchez came in second place when Phillip Phillips was pronounced the winner during Wednesday night’s season 11 finale. But while some might have expected her to be at least a tad disappointed, the pint-size vocalist was nothing but smiles. When MTV News caught up with the 16-year-old Sanchez backstage after the show, she expressed nothing but love for Phillips and claimed she already knew the humble Georgian would win the competition. – Watch the Video at MTV
Jessica Sanchez: Phillip Phillips ‘Deserved To Win’ American Idol – “I like freaked out because I was so happy for him,” Jessica told AccessHollywood.com’s Laura Saltman following Wednesday’s finale. “I told him and I whispered to him, I was like, ‘You’re going to win this whole competition,’ and he was like, ‘No, I’m not.’ And I was like, ‘Phillip, just stop it, you know you’re going to win. Stop!’” she recalled. “I don’t think he realized it and he was even crying up there… this means a lot to both of us, but I think he really, really deserved it.” – Read more at Access Hollywood
‘Idol’ Runner-Up Jessica Sanchez: “I Knew That Phillip Was Going To Win” – “I really think that Phillip deserved to win, and I’m so happy for him….When they announced that it was Phillip, I was so happy–and I knew it already,” she said. “So that’s why I gave him a big hug and I was smiling the whole time, because I was like, ‘Phillip is gonna win!’ I love him so much, and he deserved it. Like, literally, he has worked harder than all of us. We’ve all worked hard, but he’s been having to keep up with his health issues with his kidneys, and I think he’s been through a lot more than us, mentally and physically.” – See the Video at Yahoo.Com
American Idol’: Jessica Sanchez on Phillip Phillips, and THAT DUET with Jennifer Holliday — VIDEO – Right before American Idol season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez spoke with EW backstage after Wednesday’s finale, she turned to a Fox rep and politely asked, “Can I take off my shoes now?” After the teeny tiny teenage power singer removed her (roughly) four-inch heels, she turned and smiled: “Just made myself smaller!” – Watch the Video at Entertainment Weekly