It’s hard out here for an American Idol contestant on the road with the post-show tour, especially when (unlike Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, and Allison Iraheta) he hasn’t yet been signed by 19 Entertainment. But fret not for season 8 heartthrob Anoop Desai. He’s got a plan to move to Los Angeles this fall, where he’s hoping to get in the studio, make “music for music’s sake,” and turn out material that’ll fit very nicely alongside such non-vocoder-reliant R&B artists as Ne-Yo, Chrisette Michele, and Musiq Soulchild. If you love Anoop (and why wouldn’t you?), then pressing play below is required by law. (Gratuitous leg shots included! If you appreciate them, follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak!)
More ‘American Idol’:
Kris Allen dishes his new CD, going country
Megan Joy: Still fighting for independence on the Idol tour
Matt Giraud: I’m not a Justin Timberlake wannabe!
Jason Castro discusses his debut album and his hot new single
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i havent watched yet but i wanted to be first LOLOL.
I LOVE YOU ANOOOOOP! #signanoopdesai
Thanks Michael for your support for Matt & Anoop, & all these talented kids. I really hope to see great things from them all
Obviously he has no chance!!!
How is it’ obvious? I think he’ll do well in the music industry.
Obviously, you seem to be tone deaf.
Obviously you are related to Anoop.
I don’t think is obvious. It will be hard, but that it’s true for any artist. He does have three things going for him: he is not unknown; he has proven that he can sing; and he is pretty smart. Don’t underestimate smarts.
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
DANNY GOKEY SIGHTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE YOU DANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t listen to Slezak! He’ll never accomplish half of what you’ve already done!
Danny is an arrogant, no talent Christian d-bag. Can’t wait to see him fade into obscurity.
What’s wrong with him being Christian exactly?
i don’t know any of the artists you’ve listed….. but i love me some anoop. bring on the cd!
You don’t know Ne-Yo? Wow. That’s a 1st. I mean, I understand people not knowing Chrisette Michelle nor Musiq Soulchild (both of whom I’m familiar with and love!) but Ne-Yo? His songs are ALL over the radio.
Hmmmmmm, I think that Anoop had some truly great shinning moments on the show, but I think that he’s really setting himself up for failure if he truly defines success as being the next Jennifer Hudson or Daughtry.
While I can understand wanting to attain this high-caliber level of a career, shouldn’t he think of success as something that’s not a mammoth accomplishment? I mean, shouldn’t he be content-and therefore successful-to just be doing what he loves?
I admire Anoop’s ambitiousness.I think he is well aware of the behemoth challenge coming between him and his goal but I think he has a good enough chip on his shoulder to be able to handle any stumbling blocks along the way…you know the saying, anything that doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.It is a risk, but if the risks are high and one succeeds the rewards are tremendous. And with the kind of upbringing his family and friends have afforded him, I think he’ll be able to weather through storms and heartaches along the way.
I personally wish the pop/pop R&B scenes do go back to basic good music which relies on melody and meaningful lyrics and less on technology (more “real” instrument-playing & less synthesized music, less on production and relying on “hooks” and sampled music).May I add to his list Lyfe Jennings, India.Arie,Raphael Saadiq and all those “neo-soul” artists who keep music that touch the soul well and alive.
I only wish him all the luck and goodwill my prayers can muster.
Ooops..I meant to say he has a good head on his shoulders….
I’m not comparing Anoop to Matt Giraud in terms of his voice, because I would choose Anoop any day of the week.
BUT
Matt’s stance is that he loves, lives and breathes music and that he is going to play music somewhere, somehow no matter what
for the rest of his life.
I don’t hear that feeling coming from Anoop. He talks some about emotionally connecting to a song and conveying that.
But he talks more about reaching goals and being successful and becoming a pop star.
I would like to hear more about the passion he has for music while he is makin the journey.
Everytime he says he wants to be a pop star I cringe.
I agree with you to a certain extent but I think it’s because Anoop is more the thinker than Matt.Matt -for me-is all emotions and it’s one reason why I think he’ll be happy if he just gets to sing for a living and be appreciated for that for the rest of his life—which is admirable.
Anoop, on the other hand, is goal-oriented.I feel his love for music…I remember his “fanboy” moment in idol when Stevie Wonder was singing…I felt his love for music.But as I said, he’s a thinker and is very goal-oriented.I think Matt hit it right in the head when he compared Anoop to Dexter(the cartoon character) who is out to rule the world.Anoop’s like that….he’s like a kid with lofty ambitions (you know the type who dreams…and dreams big…) and he’s honest enough to show that side of him so I don’t fault him at all for this.
I guess Anoop’s going to have to temper his tendency to “think” things through with an artist’s goal to convey emotion or a certain message.I’ve always thought that one thing that caused him to be inconsistent in the show was his tendency to “overthink” his songs and moves(esp. so in choosing songs)so that in the end, the viewers were left wondering who he really is as an artist.
Having said these, i think Anoop is somewhat like a work in progress….still very much a diamond in the rough…but he seems very willing to learn and grow and maybe discover himself more.And I am looking forward to that.
Thanks, Daphine, it’s helpful and encouraging to hash out some of these things.
I did get a glimpse of some real heart and passion in those old recordings and videos. That is what got my attention initially – a beautiful voice full of emotion.
I’ve been rather afraid he’d lost that but as you said, he really still is a diamond in the rough.
I forget sometimes that he’s only 22 and is still very inexperienced and particularly as a solo artist. Perhaps in the confines of singing within a close group, it was easier to relax and tap into his emotions and allow them to come out. He has grown and achieved so much in the last 6 months.
Especially on the tour..the difference from the first show in Portland to the recent ones is really striking.
Perhaps him jumping off the cliff with his aspirations is just making me afraid he will fail instead of excited that he will succeed.
I went back and watched the interview a couple more times and one of the final things he said was that he wants to make music for the sake of music.
Still wish he would stop with the pop star but then so what. I’ve also heard him say that he wants to make music that he can be proud of and people will love.
Thanks for the feedback. I think you managed to talk me down off the ledge.
maybe you’re misinterpreting it. Maybe he wants to reach that level of success because he is that passionate about music and the music he wants to put out. he clearly wants to go back to a neo-soul which to me, speaks wonders.
why should he be contented with just singing? he has the talent and the determination, if he wants to set a high goal for himself, then good for him. i’m sure the singing and the music alone make him happy, but what’s wrong with wanting to achieve a goal and reach more people with his music? he’s ambitious, i admire him for that. and i never really bought other ai contestants’ default answer of “i’m just happy to sing.” why join ai if a successful music career isn’t part of your plans? they’ve all thought about it i’m sure, anoop’s just more vocal about it.
he’s defining the success as far as him seeing the big picture. when you set goals it means you’re not gonna be satisfied with anything until you reach it. what is wrong with that? he never said it would be easy, rather he stated he is willing to fight and work hard to reach that goal to have the success of daughtry and j-hud. he’s being totally realistic because he KNOWS its not easy and that he hasn’t reached that point yet.
He does have a chance. his tour set is SICK and he’s been getting great reviews. No one in this top 10 can’t do the smooth RnB vocals that he does…one of the best voices out there right now.
Yes there is something wrong with that. By not being happy until (or feeling successful) one’s reached the career high of Jennifer Hudson or Daughtry is a recipe for dissapointment. Over eight seasons there have been, what, about 100 idols? How many of them have reached this level of success?
I’m not saying that there’s something wrong with having these types of careers as a goal, but having that be the point in which one is “successful” is an extremely high standard. Not everyone can run the whole marathon. But if you really love running, isn’t running half of it “successful” even if it’s not as far as you would have liked to run?
well hopefully and im sure he knows, there is a difference with being content but not being satisfied. content in the sense that he;s happpy no matter what, satisfied in the sense that, he will never back down until he does reach that goal. disappointment is inevitable in this industry so that is a given.
@wombat…they’re all new up and coming RnB pop artists, they’re becoming very well known right now. they’re still a lil low key but thats slowly changing
Another great interview, Michael. Anoop has a great voice, I don’t know how open the pop/r&b world will be to him, but that really is his style of music. He deserves a shot, I just hope that people in the industry have an open mind, and that they judge him on his talent.
And like I said yesterday, if Anoop, Matt and Lil had not let their nerves and the show get to them, this would have been an awesome season. The talent level of those three, along with the talent of Kris, Allison and Adam is just amazing. It would have been one of the best seasons ever.
I definitely agree with what you said about Anoop, Matt and Lil.
But you left Danny out of what made this season good.
put the go in gokey.
Gee, you’re quite clever. You could at least not take a lame grammar joke from that school marm-looking loser, Kristin Baldwin.
Anoop is frickin gorgeous!
I love his determination, and I hope he achieves the success he described.
Thank you Michael for this interview!It’s great to see an interviewer who is a bona fide AI fan because you get these idols.More power to the idols and to you!
I love Anoop’s voice – it’s absolutely gorgeous. He’s talented and smart. He seems very ambitious and determined. And I bet he doesn’t easily take no for an answer.
But I am really wondering if he actually stands a chance in hell of making it. The record industry is a whole different animal than anything he has tackled before.
He seems to really know the kind of music he wants to make. Great. But are there really going to be people standing in line waiting to work with him ?
I pulled for him all through the show and have loved watching him develop on tour. in is going to make him stand out. He’s a talented, good-looking ( even rather sexy ) young guy.
But really ? Does he have that certain special “it” factor that’s going to grab people outside of the AI realm ?
As much as I love the guy, I can’t decide if he is arrogant or naive. Unless he knows something we don’t, all I can say is good luck.
SORRY – LET ME TRY THIS AGAIN:
I love Anoop’s voice – it’s absolutely gorgeous. He’s talented and smart. He seems very ambitious and determined. And I bet he doesn’t easily take no for an answer.
But I am really wondering if he actually stands a chance in hell of making it. The record industry is a whole different animal than anything he has tackled before.
He seems to really know the kind of music he wants to make. Great. But are there really going to be people standing in line waiting to work with him ?
I pulled for him all through the show and have loved watching him develop on tour. He’s a talented, good-looking (even rather sexy )young guy. But really ? what is it that’s going to make him stand out ?
Does he have that certain special “it” factor that’s going to grab people outside of the AI realm ?
As much as I love the guy, I can’t decide if he is arrogant or naive. Unless he knows something we don’t, all I can say is good luck.
Of course-talent aside-luck has a lot to do with succeeding in the industry I think.And given the fact that a little over a year ago, he was in graduate school and never had(or hardly had) any professional singing going on for him…and now, he is a recognizable figure at least to the millions of AI viewers…then I’d say he has some sort of luck on his side.He has talent…he has the unconventional good looks…he has the smarts(albeit, maybe on the naive side when it comes to the music industry)…now what he needs is the DETERMINATION and PERSERVERANCE to go for it…and who knows, all the elements to success might just come together that one time and produce that song/record that will make it for him.
All these he’ll never know for sure if it’s attainable if he doesn’t even try.
Maybe he’ll meet failures and heartaches along the way but I believe that—from the way he mentions his family and friends—his back is covered.
He’s young and the “limelight” that AI has afforded him(albeit limited in scope and time)…now’s the time to take advantage of them.
Best of luck Anoop, Sweeet voice! Definitely will buy your music. Bonus shot of Danny, LOVE THAT MAN!!!
Haha. Negative comments here are scorned.
I mean look at Jennifer Hudson…I think luck had a lot to do with her success…wouldn’t you call it lucky that the DreamGirls role came at the right time for her…the movie could have been made earlier and the producers wouldn’t have seen her or it could have been made much later when maybe she’d be too old or something.You think she would have been able to make it to mainstream given her looks(you know the propensity for stereotypes in the music industry) and her gospel-inspired type of singing?It’s like the universe conspired to make things happen to her at the right time in her life….which if you think about it is really ironic(given the family tragedy that came after)…but I digress too much…the point is one will never know if one doesn’t at least try.
Good luck Anoop.
I love his determination, and I believe he has what it takes. I really hope the industry gives him a chance because I see so much potential in him! He is completely unique, and his voice should not be wasted. It was meant for singing! I wish Anoop nothing but the best! He said in a previous interview that he’s never been one to shy away from challenge and that he’ll work for it for as long as it takes. I believe him!
Anoop is a wonderful singer and has set high goals for himself. Obviously being a Pop Star is what he wants. I wish him all the luck in the world. I believe Anoop will have success, but in may be in other areas of the entertainment arena. First, some sneakers company ought to book him for an advertisement. With his looks and body, the tennis shoes are going to look mighty good. I also see him doing some acting, especially in the comedy. I do look forward to buying his first CD!
I’m totally distracted by Kris in the background.
I’m not. Anoop is front and center. And looking so damn fine!
I can’t wait until I see him (PLUS Adam, Kris, Allison, and Matt) tomorrow! Milwaukee!
Michael, I love it when you two talk shop. Anoop KNOWS where you are coming from and he KNOWS what he says will be understood by you in the appropriate context. Your Anoop interviews turn out GREAT because of that. Oh and not to mention he looks even more gorgeous when he is relaxed comfortable with the interviewer.
This guy need to learn how to warm up in an interview. He always seems like he has a chip on his shoulder.
Thank you E. Marie – I couldn’t put my finger on what it was that I don’t exactly care for in Anoop, now I know. However, I do think he has an awesome voice.
#signmattgiraud #signanoopdesai
I totally agree…
Love that Michael keeps our Fav Idols in view….Love Anoop and wish him all the best in LA. Think Kris was sitting quietly in the background – unlike the idiot walking around and peeking at the interview/camera forever. Go Anoop!
One word: AAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOPPPPP!!!!
Thanks for another great interview Michael! Anoop has what it takes to be a great performer and I can’t wait to see what he does with his music. For people that mention that Anoop may come across as arrogant or that he has a chip on his shoulder, I would ask, how do you expect him to act during an interview? He was asked serious questions and he responded appropriately. If he was all smiles and giggles, people would question whether he was taking it seriously. I admire that Anoop has a goal and a plan to make it happen and that he is focused and serious about his future. He has proven that he is talented and with hard work and perseverance, he’ll make it happen. Good Luck Anoop!
That’s sooo wrong … Seek help please.
The above comment was in response to a previous hateful post that, thanksfully, EW took down. Nothing wrong about AnoopDogg.
Slezak, Was the POWERFUL MAGNETIC FORCE FIELD OF KRIS ALLEN pulling you to the left?
LOL. I thought the same thing. The camera would move to the left just enough to catch KA.
I LOVE Anoop! Yay for the Scruff!! WOOT! haha.. i wish so many good things for him.. he deserves it.. We need more GOOD r&b singers… He has an amazing voice.. and I think there is a market for him.. I can’t wait to by his first album.
I meant.. ***buy
i like anoop desai- adam and anoop desai duet(song together)in los angeles ca. bay area lots of indian american will buy his album.
lambert/desai duet tour also.