My Favorite Jessica Sanchez American Idol Performances

And since Jessica Sanchez is already in the Finale next week,

I am listing down my Top 5 Jessica Sanchez Performance!

Here it is... In no particular order...

The Prayer 
I loved this because she served a new rendition of the Celine Dion and Andrea Boccelli classic...
Very angelic yet powerful vocals... and those vibratos are precious!!

I Will Always Love You
This performance was so in time with the death of the original "Voice" Ms Whitney Houston..
It was so well sung (Though bitin) it was like the best AI tribute to Whitney!!

Everybody Has A Dream

This Billy Joel classic gave Jessica "The Moment" and sealed her as the judges' favorite and my
favorite this season!!

Stuttering

I came to know who Jazmine Sullivan is because Jessica sang this song. May not be one of the Judges' favorites, but I think Jessica showcased her fabulous vocals in this performance!! Now Stuttering is part of my playlist!!

Dance With My Father

This is a favorite song of mine and I am so glad Jessica sang this with so much soul!!!

You Are So Beautiful

She made me love this super duper classic song with that very subtle vocals (and that high note!)

and of course!!

And I Am Telling You (Im Not Going)

This is Jessica at it's finest! For a 16 year old to sing this song with so much soul (and just standing in one place) takes so much control and vocal prowess!! She deserves that Standing O!!!

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Oh and I went over 5 performances! Its rare to see an AI contestant with so many "moments" during the entire season!!

Next week is going to be interesting. A Singer-Songwriter VS a vocalist!

I hope Jessica would serve those runs and growls that Jimmy asked her to keep inside the hat!!

Next week's finale is the time to show everyone that golden voice!!

And yes, before I forgot, her voice at that age reminds me of Whitney!! Saw whitney (on youtube) when she was 16... raw and pure vocal talent!!

and as a bonus, here's Jennifer Lopez's Dance Again performance last week!!

iStyled: Maria Aragon Feature On Manila Bulletin

Born Superstar

MARIA ARAGON

Article by JASER MARASIGAN

Photos by JERICO MONTEMAYOR

(Assisted by CROMWELL TORIO)

Styled by JP DICHE

MakeUp by RHINA MONTEMAYOR

Hair By DAVE GRONA

Clothes and Accessories from

SM DEPARTMENT STORE

read full article here

MANILA, Philippines — When 11-year-old Mar ia Aragon uploaded a video of herself on You- Tube singing Lady Gaga’s hit song

“Born This Way,” she had not a bit of an idea of the possibilities that her posting could lead to.

Besides, Maria says, she is just a girl who likes to sing -- until the Mother Monster herself tweeted her praise for the kid’s cover of her track: “Can't stop crying watching this. This is why I make music. She is the future…”

Within a week of Lady Gaga’s anointment, the YouTube video views shot to 25 million hits. It now has over 40 million views.

“It was all crazy and everything happened really fast. Sometimes when I look back, I question myself, did I really meet her. It was so surreal,” says Maria, who performed the song “Born this Way” on stage with Lady Gaga at her concert in Toronto, Canada.

“I was nervous backstage because I can’t believe that it was happening.

Before the show, I just prayed with my whole family, and when I went onstage, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I just felt I wanted to perform and give my best,” she continues to relive the moment.

Lady Gaga was so nice, Maria gushes. “You’d think that she’s kinda weird sometimes because of the way she dresses and performs but she’s really, really nice. I guess that’s her way of being unique,” she says.

read full article here

“Music has been a part of my whole life. When I was still a baby, my dad had a karaoke machine, almost every night he would turn it on and sing to me. I guess that’s how I was influenced to sing. He first taught me ‘Maybe’ by King. That was the first song that I ever really learned. I was five years old,” shares the youngest of four children of Veni and Menchie Aragon. They were living in Ormoc City before migrating to Winnipeg, Canada in 1997. 

Maria seems to be a piano virtuoso but amazingly, she learned to play the instrument on her own. “I was inspired by my brother JV because he was self-taught. The first video that I uploaded that I played piano by ear on was ‘Price Tag’ by Jessie J,” says Maria, who names Gary Valenciano, Sarah Geronimo, Beyonce and Michael Jackson among her favorite artists. 

read full article here

“I always think that something bigger is going to happen. It is really my dream to be a singer. I want to know how it felt to be a singer but I didn’t expect I’d ever get here. But I know I still have a lot to improve on, and I know that there are a lot of things that I could do better.”

“It’s been crazy but it’s been really fun,” she enthuses. “Most of my fans are Filipinos and they have been amazing! The Filipino fans are very loud and supportive. I can’t really go to a store now without people recognizing me,” adds the YouTube sensation currently in the country with her family for a vacation as well as for some showbiz commitments.

read full article here

Although born in Canada, Maria knows that being Filipino is a huge part of who she is. “At home in Canada, we are a Filipino family, we eat Filipino food, sinigang na baboy, and manok of any kind of dish are my favorites. We always ‘mano’ to our elders. We always watch Filipino teleserye. My favorite is ‘Mara Clara’,” reveals Maria, who also aspires of becoming an actress given the opportunity.

read full article here

In spite of her accomplishments at such a young age, Maria keeps a good head on her shoulders. She insists that school is still her priority over everything.

“It’s fun being the youngest, to have older siblings, because when you have a hard time on something, they can give you advice. I also ask help from them for my assignments,” says the incoming Grade 6 student at the Isaac Brock School in Winnipeg.

...

Recently, she was named the young ambassador for ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor), where she helps organize fund raising events to provide scholarships to Filipino street kids.

“I want to make a change and hopefully, I influence other people to make a change too,” she says.

read full article here

Aware that she is considered a role model, she advises kids like her to always have fun. “That’s the first thing that you have to focus on, because you’re still a kid. I’m scared that when I grow up, I won’t have fun anymore. People think this is a job, but singing has been a big dream.

I hope to do this for a long time because everything has been a really big blessing. So never forget to have fun, and always be yourself. Make sure that you love whatever you’re doing because when you don’t love it, you’re not in the right place,” she ends.

                         

                * * *

And as a treat!

Here's a video of Maria Aragon playing Born This Way during the photo shoot!

Enjoy!

Marie Digby- Students and Campuses Exclusive

“I want to be known as someone who has done something good that people can remember."

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As promised, here are the official photos and snippets from the Manila Bulletin- Students and Campuses Exclusive feature on Marie Digby! 

Marie Digby- About A Girl

A Manila Bulletin- Students and Campuses Exclusive 

Photos by Jerico Montemayor (assited by Paolo Sy) of Illuminati
Creative Direction by Jaser Marasigan
Styling by Donald Elizaga
Makeup by Eman De Leon for Revlon
Hair by Adrian Adraincem
Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories from Jellybean (SM Megamall)

Shot on location at Ronac Art Center and Secret Fresh

You can read the full article here!

About A Girl

MANILA, Philippines — If only Marie Digby could save lives one song at a time, she definitely would.

After Japan was hit by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake on March 11, Marie has made it her mission to ease the sufferings of those affected in her own little way.

The daughter of a Japanese mother and an Irish-American father, Marie was right there in Japan when the tragedy struck. She and her mom were just stepping off the elevator when the tremor occurred, lucky to have been in a secure building when it happened.

“My initial thought was this is just another earthquake. It wasn’t until I turned the news on and saw how bad it was for other regions,” she recalls. “We got very lucky because our building is secure. The cities that were built near the water, they weren’t prepared for a tsunami that huge. I’m sad because even if they’re not necessarily our family, it’s still our people. It was very sad to watch that,” she laments.

She was scheduled to come to Manila on March 13. Reluctant to push through with the plan, she nevertheless went on after her parents, worried about the radiation scare and aftershocks, advised her to.

“It was with a heavy heart that I came here because I felt guilty for leaving Japan when it was most in need. We decided that I should go ahead, but my work would have to give back to Japan,” she says.

The first thing she did was to participate in “Jam for Japan” held at the Ayala Museum in Makati City. They were able to raise P17 million from the said benefit concert.

 

On her passion for music...

“When I started doing the YouTube videos, in my mind, even if there’s one more person somewhere around the world who knew about my music, I’ve already been successful. For me to sit here now and think about the millions of people who viewed the videos, it’s really hard to believe. I’m just very grateful for it,” she says.

“I realized that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t try music a 100 percent right then. It is really what I want to do. There was no other option. Music is the only thing that makes me happy. If I were not a musician now, I would probably be crying somewhere in rehab. I would be miserable.”

On her favorite song- Unfold...

“I noticed that I have this trait where anytime someone starts to get close to me, I find a way to push them back. And I was trying to figure out why I am this person. I’m the one girl in school who couldn’t get a date in a school dance. So I sat down with a guitar and literally worked it out through the song. In ‘Unfold’, I try to say, at some point you have to be able to let go and let people see you for what you are, not just the good, but the bad too. I struggled with it still. But the song helps to remind me.”

What we don't know about her...

“I love being very active. I was a jock, I played tennis in high school. I’ve been training for mixed martial arts for over a year now. I got into it because I had a few scary instances with stalkers. I had to make sure I didn’t have to rely on anyone else to defend myself. In the beginning, it was really for self-defense and then it turned into pure fun.”

 

On her stay in the Philippines...

“I absolutely love the Philippines. I’ve been here a few times but this is my first extended stay. This time, it is a very special experience for me because I’m getting to see more of the Philippines. Not just the surface. Before, I just saw beautiful hotels, places, gourmet food.But what I want to know is what life is like on the streets, by the river and under the bridges. I’m always more interested in that than the perfect and appealing.”

  
It's not just about breaking records or selling CDs, or becoming famous....

“I want to be known as someone who has done something good that people can remember.Not just the one who wanted to make a name in life, or be known for what she does or how she looks. I want to be more than that,” she ends.

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Many thanks to Jerico Montemayor for sharing some of the unofficial photos (below).

Full Article from www.mb.com.ph

Enjoy!