Idol 47 - Anoop Desai

47. Anoop Desai

Season 8, 6th Place

Here we get to another contestant from Season 8, Anoop Desai.

I have a weird relationship or thoughts toward Mr. Desai. I mean, I've always liked him, but somehow it depends on how he performed. Sometimes, I would really like him and be a fan and would root for me. Then there were other times where I liked him but would lose interest and just not care about him - especially the later part of his Idol run.

Now, I'll start from the beginning. When Anoop came to audition, I somehow got the computer geek vibe coming off of him and didn't expect him to do good. Well, Anoop's audition, to me, was a good vocal, but it left me a bit cold, and I'd forgotten about it a few minutes later. His Hollywood performance was also ok, but did nothing for me. However, I already saw a couple of YouTube videos of him and his choir and thought that he could really deliver some good performances if not for the editing of each episode. So, I remained hopeful.

So, when I learned that he was part of the Top 36 of Season 8, I was ecstatic. Sadly, his Angel of Mine performance during a highly competitive Group 1 was forgettable, at best. In fact, it was just a tentative performance that almost bored me to tears. I still assumed he'd be advancing through to the Top 13 though because he was well-liked. But, it was Michael Sarver who got the other spot and got me a little irritated. I mean, Anoop's wasn't that great but Sarver's was just annoying. I don't know.

When he got a Wild Card callback, I knew he'll deliver an amazing performance but I was underwhelmed. Sure, it was fun and entertaining but it fell a little short for me. But somehow, I was just glad that they made that season a Top 13 just for him.

Now, came the Finals and a couple of performances down, I realized what was wrong with Anoop in general - he's a one trick pony! I mean, his only strength was the ballads because Beat It was just not good and Caught Up was just awkward with his wierd facial expressions. His performances were he showed off his tender vocals were incredible but his inability to perform uptempo songs was a bit disturbing, at least to me. Haha.

Good thing, he managed to pull off some amazing, though ballad, performances like Always On My Mind and Ooh Baby Baby. Unfortunately, his popularity started to really dwindle after that. Even after what was probably one of his best performances with Everything I Do, he still landed in the Bottom 3. By then, I knew that it's only a matter of time before he was sent packing and true enough, he got eliminated the next week, with Lil Rounds.

Currently, I'm digging his first post-Idol independent album. He has a couple of good songs in it and his lead single, My Name, is actually quite good. Listen HERE. 

Favorite Performance(s): Always On My Mind would probably be my favorite. He showcased his smooth, soulful vocals very nicely and didn't sound boring or tentative at all.

Always On My Mind

Check this out!

My Name - Anoop Desai

#46 - Pageant-bot!