‘American Idol’: Jessica Sanchez is ‘relieved’ it’s all over (and happy for Phillip Phillips)

Don’t feel bad for Jessica Sanchez — the 16-year-old might’ve finished second to Phillip Phillips on “American Idol,” but she’ll do just fine in the music industry. She’s already got Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine talking about what kind of record she’ll make, and she got to sing with Jennifer Holliday, one of her musical idols, during the finale.

“I’m kind of relieved that this whole thing is over but I’m also going to miss everybody here,” she says backstage after the show. “But I’m going to see my ‘Idol’ family on tour so I’m thankful for that. And I really think that Phillip deserves to win and I’m so happy for him.”

Really — she’s happy for her fellow Top 2 finalist. “When they announced that it was Phillip, I was so happy — and I knew it
already. That’s why I gave him a big hug and I
was smiling the whole time. I was like ‘This fool is going to win and I
love him so much!’ He deserved it. Like literally, he has worked harder
than all of us. We’ve all been working hard, but he’s been having to
deal with his health issues, with his kidneys, and I think he’s been
through a lot more than us mentally and physically.”

Although she’s the runner up, Sanchez says she wouldn’t have done anything differently. “I don’t have any regrets at all. I mean, I made it to top two — that’s crazy! I’m happy.”

Plus, singing with Holliday was a highlight of her whole “Idol” journey. “That was insane. I love her so much. I’ve been listening to her ever
since I was like 7 years old. We both dug deep into our hearts and
sang the heck out of that song.”

So, what’s next? “Now that this whole thing is over and I’m going to have time to really put myself into my music, it’s going to be all me –100 percent me. I’m excited.”

And what will it sound like? “I want to be more like a Rihanna kind of/Beyonce kind of thing, but I
don’t want to compare myself to anybody, because I want to be somebody
new too. [I’ll do] more like the urban R&B kind of stuff, but a little bit of
pop. Not straight pop.”

The judges told her that no matter what she does next, she should listen to her gut. “They just said ‘Do you.’ Going back into the whole pop single kind of thing, [they said] ‘do you, don’t let anybody tell you what to do.’ This doesn’t mean it’s the end of your career. You’ll have a successful career. They’re really excited for me and I’m excited too.”

Photo/Video credit: FOX

Related pics