Vaid was saved by the judges.
AB Wire
Indian American singer Sonika Vaid, from Weston, Massachusetts, is in the final six of the last season of ‘American Idol’ on Fox.
The 20-year-old aspiring superstar landed in the bottom three of last night’s Top 8 showdown and was forced to sing for the judges’ save. Fortunately for her, Vaid landed on top with her risky performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” and will live to sing another day, reported Bustle.
Vaid has been on top for much of this competition, which is why it was a bit shocking that she landed in the bottom three. The power of her voice is undeniable, and her performances are getting stronger and stronger every week. The contestant pool does continue to shrink, though, which means that even the most talented of contestants aren’t safe.
From this point on, Vaid will have to fight even harder if she wants to stay in the game. It’s easy to get discouraged after landing in the bottom three, but she can’t let it get to her if she wants a chance at making it into the Final Four. The good news is that, thanks to her performance tonight, she gets to stick around long enough to give it one more try, said Bustle.
With the judges’ vote of confidence, Vaid joins La’Porsha Renae, Trent Harmon, Mackenzie Bourg, Dalton Rapattoni, and Tristan McIntosh in the Top 6. It’s going to be a tough group to beat, for sure, but Vaid does have a shot.
While the Final Four may seem to be set already –Renae, Harmon, Bourg, and Rapattoni have been the favorites since the beginning — nothing is guaranteed. Both McIntosh and Vaid have proven to be dark horses before and they certainly have the potential to come in as a wildcard again.
NBC reported that growing up in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, Vaid never craved the limelight.
“I had so many opportunities to sing when I was a little kid, and I never took them up,” Vaid told NBC News. “I was just really comfortable being behind the piano because I would play upright piano, and I could perform in assemblies, and no one would see my face.”
The pre-medical student has impressed all from her first audition, including judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban.
“This is the one of the only times this particular season that I saw somebody that I actually think could win this thing, with a voice like that. That is a pure God-given voice,” Connick said following Vaid’s audition.
Vaid is no stranger to music. Her talents run deep within her familial roots, beginning with her grandfather. As a self-taught singer, he bought himself a harmonium — an instrument structurally similar to an accordion — and taught Vaid’s mother Ananya how to sing and play.
“Basically, I owe my whole entire musical abilities to him because, without him, I would’ve never sang. My mom would’ve never sang. He passed it to my mom and my mom passed it to me,” Vaid said, reported NBC.
Sonika’s mother and father, Kuldip “Ken” Vaid and Ananya “Anna” Vaid, both moved to the United States at very young ages. Once settled into the country, they fought to achieve the American dream. Her father became an eye surgeon, which he still practices today, while her mother obtained an engineering degree and is currently working as a real estate developer.
“It’s funny because I’ll get the comments, like the occasional, ‘Oh my God, your parents, do they have Indian accents?’, and I’m like ‘no, they moved here when they were five’,” Vaid said.
Vaid’s mother knew Vaid — the eldest of six children — had a gift. She became Vaid’s personal vocal trainer and helped her break out of her shy personality.
Vaid attended a private school called The Meadowbrook School of Weston, where class sizes were small. While there, her mother would encourage her to pursue opportunities that would forcefully place her in the spotlight, a place Vaid was hesitant to step into.
“In sixth grade, she actually took the initiative to talk to the music program and asked if there were any singing opportunities or a chance to perform onstage and signed me up,” Vaid said.
Together, they practiced “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion for over a month. On the day of the performance, Vaid said she was sick to her stomach, and, instead of letting her back down, her mother joined her onstage.
“That was definitely a turning point of my career, and ever since then I’ve signed myself up and sang and played the piano at the same time, and I just got more comfortable on stage,” Vaid said. “I’m just so grateful because you know your mom will always have your best interest at heart.”
After winning viewers over with her first audition on “American Idol,” Vaid has attracted fans from across the world.
“I’m getting a lot of love from India,” Vaid said. “I’ve never been, but it’s awesome. I’m getting love from South Africa and Europe, Brazil, the Philippines. It’s so amazing.”
But even with her success, Vaid is still focused on her education. She plans to transfer to the College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts in the fall to finish her degree in premedical studies, though she still plans to pursue music.
1 Comment
Very nice, well-written article. God gifted Sonika with an incredible voice and it’s my hope she’ll be the next (and final) winner of American Idol. Her music will sell…