Jessica Sanchez stumbles on American Idol

MANILA, Philippines – After her much-praised performance last week, Jessica Sanchez seems to have stumbled during this week’s American Idol performance night. 

Singing Gloria Estefan’s hit Turn The Beat Around, Sanchez failed to wow the judges. 

“I don’t think you should stray too far from what you do the best, which are ballads,” rock icon and ‘Idol’ judge Steven Tyler said.

Pop diva Jennifer Lopez, meanwhile, said the Filipino-Mexican-American’s performance was “not her favorite thing,” but still commended her for a “good job.”

Veteran ‘Idol’ judge Randy Jackson, meanwhile, said the dance tune wasn’t a perfect fit for her.

“The problem for me was the song choice. You got a big old voice but the song didn’t allow you to show that,” he said.

The critiques from the three judges are a far cry from last week’s comments on Sanchez’s performance of the Whitney Houston hit “I Will Always Love You,” where she even got a standing ovation.

“This is about constructive criticism that is only going to get you better,” Jackson said.

In response, the 16-year-old singer admitted “Turn The Beat Around” was a “bit of a challenge.”

This week’s theme for the performances were songs from their birth year. The said song came out in 1994, the year Sanchez was born.

“I had to work really work really hard to make my voice fit this song. It was a a bit of a challenge but if I stay, next time I’ll pick a better song,” she told host Ryan Seacrest after the judges’ commentary.

America – and the rest of the world –  will see if she makes it through to the next round on Thursday, March 15 (Friday, March 16 in the Philippines).

– Rappler.com

Click on the links below for more.

• Jessica to sing at Pacquiao fight
• ‘Idol’ alums Jessica Sanchez, Daughtry perform at US Memorial Day concert
• Why Phillips is doing better than Jessica in iTunes
• ‘American Idol’: Success despite loss