Friday, April 24, 2009

Anoop Desai:"I'm gonna go get 'em now"

Hearing the comments of Anoop and Lil on Thursday was like night and day. Lil was still insisting that she was right. But Anoop was gracious and well-spoken, just appreciating the experience…

Here’s a sample of what Anoop had to say…

On whether he knew he was going home: “I think we always think about that sort of stuff. It’s amazing how many people in that group were sure they were going home [Wednesday]. It was a toss-up.”

On what he learned from the experience:“I really learned how to bounce back from things.”

On the double elimination: “It is nice to have Lil there so we’re not wallowing.”

On going the pop/R&B route with an album: “I want to put my own soul into pop songs.”

On the other contestants: “It was very humbling to see how good everyone is. It’s more about how to play to your strengths. We’re all finding our places in this competition…I was expecting not to get along with everyone. But the great thing about this group is that we really are great friends. It’s amazing how we all got along. The Mansion was a great place to be in.”

On his future: “I’m definitely going to pursue a music career. Singing is what I’m happiest doing. It’s what I do the best.”

On his last performance during he results show: “Actually that was the easiest performance I’ve ever done. There’s something about the burden of four people who are your harshest critics. With that burden relieved, I was free to sing the song with personality.”

On his fans: “I appreciate the fans more than anything. My fans especially—they’re strategic, they’re loving, they’re kind. They not only care about my music, they care about me.”

On the difference between singing solo and singing in a group (like his UNC group, the Clefhangers): “The week I was the most comfortable was when the band was on stage. It was definitely an adjustment.”

On his beloved North Carolina: “If people know me by anything, I want them to know I’m a proud Tarheel.” Anoop said he did watch his beloved Tarheels in the NCAA Championship Game at the mansion, although he did miss the first part.

On song choice: “I was looking forward to some of the songs for next week…The songs you want to sing are not necessarily the songs an audience wants you to sing.”

On what he learned from the other contestants: “Each one of those people represents themselves on stage. They’re all so very different. By being around them, I was more able to be myself.”

On the Judges’ Save: “You gotta roll with the punches. This was a format change. I don’t think that ultimately it changed anything. The only real order that matters is who’s at the top. I was glad that [my elimination] was relatively quick.”

Before he got off the call, Anoop once again thanked Rickey Minor and the band, the vocal coaches and the production staff. Then he left us with, “I’m gonna go get ‘em now”…

Photo Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOX