'American Idol's' Jessica Sanchez Shows No Fear; Takes on Aerosmith, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson

Michael Becker / FOX

Jessica Sanchez’s top 3 songs were ambitious and then some. Starting with Mariah Carey’s “My All,” chosen by judge Jennifer Lopez, then onto her pick of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and finally Jimmy Iovine’s choice of Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.” The 16-year-old hopeful recounted the night with THR moments after the credits rolled…

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The Hollywood Reporter: You were clearly trying to tap into an emotion during “My All” -- what were you feeling?

Jessica Sanchez: I was scared of that song and nervous about the dynamics -- going low and then getting all high. It's a Mariah Carey song and I really wanted to pull it off so I was just trying to find the emotion in it. … And the judges seemed to like it, so yeah!

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THR: Did you debate choosing an Aerosmith song?

Sanchez: When I first picked it, I was like, “I'm going to sing it for Steven and he's going to love it!” And then I got up there and as they were announcing it, I was, like, “Oh my gosh, this is his song and he's going to hate it.” Because he sang the heck out of that song, and now I'm singing it in front of him? It was nerve wracking...  But I'm glad that he loved it. He even said I could be the last one standing, so I kind of freaked out.

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THR: Did Mariah Carey’s version of “I'll Be There” inspire your performance at all?

Sanchez: I didn't get a chance to listen to it because I was so busy, but The Jackson 5 are amazing and I'm so happy that Jimmy picked that song for me.

THR: While you were watching the hometown video, what was going through your mind?

Sanchez: I wanted to cry. That day in San Diego, I didn't cry because I was filled with adrenaline so I was giggling the whole time. But watching it here, I almost got teary-eyed. Like, that's me! 

Twitter: @Idol_Worship