WATCH: Nine-months pregnant Jessica Sanchez stuns 'America's Got Talent' judges and audience with 'Golden Hour' performance
In the latest episode of America’s Got Talent, semi-finalist Jessica Sanchez flawlessly belted out JVKE’s Golden Hour—and she did it nine months pregnant.
Wearing a long-sleeved fitted gown that hugged her baby belly, and her hair in an updo, the Fil-Am singer stood in place as she performed. A halo of sparkly lights surrounded her on the stage floor as the audience lit up their phones and held them up, providing a surreal atmosphere.
Everyone was on their feet, cheering, as Sanchez built up to the song’s climax.
The judges, save for Howie Mandel, raved about the performance, with Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, and Mel B giving Sanchez a standing ovation.
“I’m so proud that you’re my golden buzzer,” said Vergara, who made the decision to press the golden buzzer after Sanchez’s audition, sending the singer—who had just found out she was pregnant then—straight to the live shows. “Jessica, you get better and better. It’s perfection–your voice, your little belly, your story. There’s nothing I would change about you…You’re amazing,” Sofia continued.
Mandel had a different take, however.
“You look beautiful tonight. You sound beautiful,” he said. “But [like what] Simon said, with the right song choice, you could take this all the way and be the million-dollar winner. America’s gonna have to decide whether that was the right song choice… Hopefully they love that song more than me,” Mandel said amidst boos from the audience, and a gentle rebuke from Vergara. Sanchez, however, continued to smile onstage.
Mel B set it back on track.
“Your vocals were just magical,” she said. “You have a range that’s very similar to Mariah Carey. You can go up, down, and round the corners, and you always land on point. Whether that song affected everybody the way that you wanted it to, I’m not sure but I can see that it affected you, and that’s the most important thing. It was beautiful.”
Cowell was in full agreement, going on to praise Sanchez for her persistence and determination.
“I loved the song choice, genuinely,” he said. “For me it showed a different part of your voice. That’s what I call a moment performance. Not only are you talented, you’ve never given up over all these years. And you could have done, but you haven’t. You kept going; timing’s everything by the way. And importantly, you are very, very likeable. Everyone is talking about how much they like you. I think we are gonna be seeing you next week.”
When host Terry Crews checked on how Sanchez was coping, the singer remained candid.
“This is so exciting. I keep telling my baby, ‘Please just stay in there another week.’ God-willing I make it to the finals. I’m just so blessed and grateful.”
Jessica earned the golden buzzer from Vergara in July with her performance of Benson Boone's Beautiful Things, which advanced her directly to the live shows.
She then impressed the audience and the judges with her powerful rendition of Alex Warren's Ordinary on Sept. 2—while eight months pregnant.
The Fil-Am singer joined the first season of AGT in 2005 when she was 10 years old, but didn't make it to the grand finals. She entered American Idol in 2012, finishing as a runner-up.
