<span class="s1">The 17-year-old Filipino-American singer Jessica Sanchez, the runner-up in last season’s <em>American Idol</em>, released this week her debut album <em>Me, You & the Music</em>. She discusses visiting the Philippines and landing a guest role on <em>Glee</em>.</span> <span class="s2"><strong>Talk about mixing the sound that helped you excel on <em>Idol</em> with a more playful one on your album. </strong></span> Music, it just runs in my blood and I love music. So I’m trying to bring the tone of my voice and trying to mix it with the genre – the generation of music now – so that you get the feel of the real voice, the real grittiness that you got back in the day, and bring it to the pop-club mix. <span class="s2"><strong>What were your thoughts when you were offered a role in <em>Glee</em>?</strong></span> <span class="s3">Oh, I freaked out. Ryan Murphy called me in for a meeting ... and he asked me: “Have you ever acted before?” And I said: “No. I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve never acted.” I walked out and then a couple of days later I get a call from my manager and she said that “he wants you to be in the show”, and I’m like: “What? I’ve never acted before. That’s crazy.” But ever since then, I’ve been taking acting classes and I’ve been really, really working on it. So hopefully it all pays off.</span> <span class="s2"><strong>You’re of Mexican and Filipino descent. What’s your fan following like in those countries? </strong></span> <span class="s1">Being on the show I had so much support from the Filipino crowd and the Latin crowd. Going to the Philippines was insane. I am like J Lo over there! Like, I got off the plane and [security] were like: “No, you have to come over here.” And I had to stay in a room because people were trying to take pictures, there was paparazzi. I was like, “What the heck? This is weird.”</span> <span class="s4"><strong>As a young person in the entertainment industry, do you worry about falling into the wrong crowd?</strong></span> I've had bad influences. I've had friends that backstabbed me. I've had no friends at all at certain times. I mean, I've been offered substances of drugs and I just told myself it's not worth it because in the future I have so many bright things ahead of me. I've always said no and I've always stuck my mind to family, school, music and just what I love and what's positive. <span class="s5">– AP</span> Follow us Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thenationalArtsandLife">Facebook</a> for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.