Where Is Jessica Sanchez Now? AGT Return, Music, and Married Life

Jessica Sanchez has come a long way since she first stepped onto the America’s Got Talent stage at just 10 years old. It was 2006, and no one could forget that tiny girl with the massive voice. Nearly two decades later, she’s back on AGT—this time, not as a kid chasing a dream but as a grown artist with something deeper to say.

She shared her excitement on Instagram before her July 15 audition. “What a huge blessing it is to be able to come back and chase after my dreams again after 20 years,” she wrote. And yes, the buzz is real. Fans who knew her from American Idol Season 11 are tuning in again. That’s the season where she blew minds at 16 and finished as runner-up to Phillip Phillips.

What Has Jessica Been Doing Since American Idol?

Right after Idol ended in 2012, Jessica went straight to work. Her debut album Me, You and the Music dropped in 2013, followed by a holiday EP in 2015. She kept releasing singles and even explored different genres through the years. But the commercial success many expected didn’t quite happen.

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By 2022, her releases had slowed down. Not because she quit—but because something had shifted. “Back then, music felt like a job,” she said in a recent interview. “Now, I’m at a place where music feels like something I’m blessed to be able to do.”

It’s clear she needed that break. Jessica spoke openly about how young she was and how easy it was to get lost in the pressure. Especially being a woman, and a Filipino woman, in the industry. She felt boxed in, forced to meet industry expectations that didn’t always feel right. Now she’s back with more freedom, more joy, and more love for her craft.

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Who Is Jessica Sanchez Married To?

Jessica isn’t just finding herself in music again—she’s found love too. She married Rickie Gallardo in 2021, and their love story is as unexpected as it is sweet.

They met back in 2017 during one of her concerts. Rickie was working lights at a church that had been rented out as a venue. A friend told him, “You gotta come back to the church. This girl can sing.” So he showed up and recorded a video of her on stage. He DM’d it to her with the message, “I’m gonna marry you one day.”

She wasn’t sure if she should respond, but something told her to go for it. They hung out every day for a month—and then started dating.

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Their wedding? Totally low-key. “Very small,” Jessica said. It was so last-minute that their families couldn’t even make it. They grabbed wedding rings from Walmart and her dress came from the mall. But none of that mattered. She said Rickie “changed [her] for the better.”

Now, Jessica is entering a new chapter. Back on national TV, back doing what she loves, and doing it on her own terms. And fans old and new are ready to cheer her on.