Vaid from Massachusetts wows the judges with her vocals and rendition.
AB Wire
NEW YORK: An Indian American singer, Sonika Vaid, 20, from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, is being touted as an early favorite to win the last season of American Idol, after just one soulful rendition which wowed the judges on the show.
Vaid impressed the judges – Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr – with her beautiful cover of ‘Look at Me’, the hit by former Idol winner Carrie Underwood, reported The National.
“This is one of the only times this particular season that I saw somebody that I actually think can win this thing,†said Connick. “You sang beautifully. Perfect performance. I was totally engaged. Terrific job.â€
Lopez also congratulated Vaid, saying: “I love it, I love it a lot.â€
Urban added: “How beautiful that you just let it go, too? You didn’t stack it with a bunch of clever runs. You just sang.â€
No sooner had the episode been broadcast than Vaid was making headlines as the potential favorite to win.
“The sayonara season of American Idol has only just begun, but we may already have a winner,†The Boston Globe reported.
In an interview with Fox 25 News, Vaid said that she’s been singing since she was three years old, and grew up performing at a park near her home for special events.
Vaid lives in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, with her Indian parents, who emigrated to the United States.
Bostob.com reported Vaid was born in Boston, MA, and now lives in Weston, MA.
“They started from having nothing,†said Vaid, who was accompanied by her mother at the audition, in a short video released by the show before she began her audition, of her parents who encouraged her. “They always lived with the American dream in their mind. My mom has been the biggest support system in my life. She claims she’s my number-one fan.â€
American Idol’s latest season is its 15th and final edition. Since its premiere in 2002, only two contestants of South Asian origin have reached the final 12 stage of the competition: Sanjaya Malakar, who finished seventh during season six, and Anoop Desai, who placed sixth during season eight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvX6No5gjes