Anoop Desai’s journey during “American Idol 8″
Posted on April 25, 2009
Filed Under CONTESTS, East meets West | Leave a Comment
Anoop ‘Noop Dogg’ Desai was a participant in “American Idol 8″ and is  of Indian origin. He belongs to Gujarat which is located in western India. He almost made it to the top and got eliminated due to less votes from the audience. He is admired by his judges and at the same time has a huge fan following. Anoop  made an impression on “American Idol” viewers with his fun personality and by singing Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative,” and made it all the way to the top seven with his honest interpretations of heartfelt ballads. According to some of the voters “Anoop Desai possesses a silly name but is a fun personality who lacks true vocal talent”.
American Idol is a great platform for new talent of all origins and at the same time  every new season of American Idol flashes light on the Indian Diaspora in USA as well as the bounty of talent that they posses. Coming to Anoop, unfortunately as he could not make it to the top in the American Idol his fans were disappointed and his well wishers in India and Gujarat were also slightly disappointed but at the same time the love and affection for him will always continue to exist in their warm hearts as he made India and Indians very proud.Â
Let us see what Anoop’s fans have to say about him—-
“I woke up this morning so sad. I was still thinking of last night’s result in American Idol. My bet, Anoop Desai, did not make it to the top 12.” ”I have, however, a special place in my heart for the Awesome Anoop – I love his a capella singing background, his hard working and devoted parents, and his academic intelligence, grace, and good sportsmanship.  ”I am still hoping though that, he will be coming back to the show as a wild card participant”
Anoop’s fan following is not limited to his fans  but his judges were more then impressed with him. The judges at American Idol 8 were quite ga ga over his hot looks and singing talent. They are of the opinion that artificial reconstructions and makeovers can make him one of the hottest item this year. Anoop  mentioned that he is referred as Noop Dogg for his voice and singing genre. The kid not only got through to Hollywood but now is part of Top 36 of American Idol 8. He is the third participant in American Idol with Indian roots. Anoop could reach to this level simply because of his hard work and singing talent as he was the most unlikely candidate to get through the auditions but his soulful voice and ingenuine version of Thank You got him the ticket to Hollywood.Â
Now some extracts from an face to face interview with Anoop Desai for all his fans, wellwishers, relatives at home in India and visitors of my site.
 Q: Did you ever think that you would get eliminated in the early stages of the competition ?
A: I think we always think  that sort of stuff on the inside, but it’s amazing how many people out of that group were sure they were going home last night. It was really a toss-up.
Q: Was it emotionaly difficult for you to sing after being voted out?
A: Not at all! Actually, that was the easiest performance I’ve ever done. [Laughs.] Hopefully that’s how it’s going to be on tour. There’s something about the burden of having four people sitting in front of you who you know are your harshest critics. And with that burden relieved, I was free to sing the song with personality, which sounds strange to say. That was the freest I’ve ever been onstage. Watching it back, I think it shows. I was relaxed, and honestly, that was a persona that I’ve been trying to put onstage for a little while, and it just so happened that it came out when I was most relaxed.
Q: Did you feel cheated after being eliminated on the first night this season when the judges’ save wasn’t in play?
A: Honestly, the save process was just something that you had to deal with. One of the things I learned from this show is that you’ve gotta roll with the punches. Things are not always going to work out for you. This was a format change; I don’t think that ultimately it changed anything. As I think we all know, the only real order that matters is [who wins the show]. Everything after that, you can do whatever you want with your career. … I actually told Ryan right before the show, “Hey, man, don’t mess around with me tonight.” I was glad that it was relatively quick, and if I had a choice, they would mail me the results. [Laughs.]
Q: How was your experience and what all you have learned from “American Idol”?
A: For me, I think I really learned how to bounce back from things. A lot of times I’m really hard on myself, because if I don’t live up to my own standards, to me, the way I used to look at it is as a failure. I learned how to learn from my mistakes and bounce back from them.
Q: How did the other contestants influence you?
A: I think everyone has something different they bring to the table. To me, it was very humbling to see how good everyone was. It’s not a skill or a vocal ability that we learned from the contestants; it’s more about how to play to your strengths. … Throughout the competition, you kind of find your own niche. It’s almost a communal experience. We’re all finding our places in this competition, and that’s going to help us out by finding our place in the industry, hopefully.
Q: What are your future plan at this point of time?
A: I’m definitely going to pursue a music career. If I learned nothing else from this experience, it is that singing is what I am the happiest doing, and I think it’s what I do the best. I’m looking forward to releasing that pop/R&B album. I really like the things that Ne-Yo’s doing right now. … I’m really interested in pursuing that direction in music. One of the best comments I got from the judges was Kara’s for this last performance, when she said she could hear that song on the radio. That’s what I was really striving for with the fast section of “Dim All the Lights.” We put it to a very modern, almost electronic beat. That’s the type of music that I feel most comfortable with and I look forward to making in the future.
 All we can say to Anoop is that it’s just the begining of your singing career and I am sure you have a long way to go in your life, we wish you good luck and wishing you a great life ahead. I am sure one day you will make your hard working parents proud. It’s time now you take a break and visit your home town in Gujarat and relish some mouth watering Gujarati dishes like Khakras, Theplas, Dhoklas and gorkheri pickle  and get connected with your roots for a while.
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