Six singing sensations

When Indian Link Idol 2009 began its musical journey, we had 70 singers and 2 rounds of live auditions. Judges Subhendhu and Rajesh Thakur shortlisted the top 20 singers who touched the hearts of radio listeners with their melodious rendition of great songs. The challenge began in earnest when the first four singers were eliminated in round 1and 2 respectively. The third round of 12 singers in the quarter-final is now complete, and we have the 6 finalists.

The judges stated that in every round, since the beginning of the competition, all singers put in fabulous performances, giving their best and it was tough deciding on the finalists. Say Subhendu and Rajesh, “It was a great experience to listen and judge such a talented bunch of voices, and at times it was very difficult to choose the best from equally talented contestants. Their choice of song, their renditions of old, new, contemporary, romance songs was a musical journey worth taking.” currently learning music from Avijit Sarkar, and my idol is Sonu Nigam, a truly versatile modern contemporary singer. I love listening to Arziyaan from Delhi 6; its very well sung.. If I had a chance, I would love to sing for AR Rahman. Today’s music business uses modern techniques of music making and a wider array of singers and digital instruments. AR Rahman is a classic example of music today that not only has appeal to global mass audiences, but is also technically very sound. Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Pritam are also today’s top music composers and directors who create very melodic but at the same time, very relevant

Indian Link Idol now presents the final 6 contestants, and this time, the judges will be the listeners. They will choose the next Indian Link Idol 2009.

So meet the contestants and tune in to Indian Link Radio to pick your winner.

Link radio and the newspaper are doing a great job in promoting the Indian culture and the contribution of Indians to Australia.

Hi, I’m Pankaj Bankoti

I have sweet memories of my schooling days, with overnight camping in high schoolbonfires with lots of singing and fooling around with best mates and childhood sweethearts. My first singing performance was when I was about 8, and I had to sing about 15-17 songs. I was rewarded Rs 85 by the audience, which I gave to my mother as my ‘ early music gurus would be Kishore Kumar and Jagjit Singh, as I learned how to emote and sing in such a way that it connects one to the audience. I admire Kalish Kher, he has made his mark with sheer hard work and talent and has made sufi music a new and popular genre. I have many favourite songs, so I will pick Deewani by Kailash Kher. I would love to sing fro AR Rehman and Vishal Bhardwaj. I am very impressed with the new talent of music directors, and I love the fact that today’s music cannot be stereotyped as it is really very versatile. My Indian Link Idol been very interesting so far, and I am enjoying music to our current era.

When I begun the Indian Link Idol simply decided to give my best and continue However, I soon realised that the competition was tough, which motivated me to do even better. I have now seen myself grow as a singer and hope to continue improving. I’m currently learning to play the guitar and piano, and learning more about the technicalities of music theory and sound engineering. So in the future, I hope to compose music of my own. wish all our listeners and readers a very happy Diwali, and may the festival of lights truly light

Hi, I’m Jasmine Gill

My most memorable performance was singing at the Indian Idol Reality Show in India, before hotshots like Anu Malik, Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher, Javed Akhtar and Sonali Bendre. I will never forget this event in all my life. My music guru is Ustaad Vijay Sachdevaji (Kirana Gharana) and guruji Shri Om Prakash Thappar (Patiala Gharana). Sukhwinder Singh is my idol, I find his voice and dedication to music amazing. My favourite song is Piya re.. Piya re.. by Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, it makes me feel as if he’s still alive. I would love to sing for Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, they are among the best.

My Indian Link Idol journey was really great, and I feel that I should work hard to win the title out here. My experience with Indian Link Idol has taught me about the choice of songs, how to sing in a studio, be versatile and coordinated while singing. Its been good, and in the future, I’m looking at putting together a fusion band, because its currently in great demand and I enjoy this style of music. My message to listeners and readers is: Thank you for the chance to share my talent with all of you. Keep a clear vision, believe in God and put in your best effort to achieve your goal.

Hello, I’m Kshitij Bhatnagar

I am an IT Consultant, aspiring to be the next Indian Link Idol 2009. I first began singing in High School, and I specially remember singing at a wedding, when a father and daughter danced together, a touching moment. I am

I’m an accountant, with high aspirations in music. My first performance was at a Sydney radio station in an Indian program. I was just 10 at the time, and it was a great experience for me. All my performances have been memorable, but a dear one is singing in the Afghani language with Jawid Shariff. music guru is Ustad Sarsharji, and I admire my mum and my best friends (cassettes and CDs). My musical idols are Alka Yagnik and Sonu Nigam, and my very favourite song is itna pyar tumko karte hain hum heart and I love it. Given a chance, I would love to sing for AR Rahman. Today’s music is great because of the involvement of more technology and the development of musical instruments, and composition are newer through mixing music from other cultures. My favourite MD in Hindi is AR Rehman and from the South is Illayarajaji. I am having a great and challenging time on Indian Link Idol. I have improved on my mistakes and taken the judges’ comments on board. Singing is my passion and that’s what I intend doing throughout my life.

I have to say a big thank you to all listeners, readers and Indian Link, who have all provided us with a platform to prove our talent. Indian best musical memory. I loved every bit of the practise sessions and the final show was rapchik, mast and dhamakedar. I have always admired Sumathi Krishnan, a well-known Indian Classical music lover in the Sydney music circle. She is simply amazing. Asha Bhonssle and Sunidhi Chauhan are my idols, they have beautiful and powerful voices and fantastic songs. Currently my favourite song is Twist, because of the ronak shounak, rolla ruppa and maddi tuppa! And of course, its magic beats and fun elements. I would live to sing for AR Rahman and Himesh Reshamiya. I think true talent comes from life’s experiences and professionalism, as well as doing research about the type of song one is composing. Many composers today lack the art of gelling the music with the lyrics. A.R Rahman is arguably the best. I also like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Anu Malik, Preetam Chakraborty, Salim-Suleiman and Bohemia. My Indian Link Idol was great fun, very challenging and extremely interesting. And it taught me so much. I hai ke maanta nahi, it is undoubtedly the most romantic song I have ever heard. I would love to sing for AR Rahman. Music today comprises a good mix of Sufi, classical and western tunes and because of vibrant competition, music directors need to give a lot of importance to technicalities (music arrangement and post production) instead of just producing a good tune. Rahman is good at this and I like VishalShekhar and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy too.

Indian Link Idol trip was very inspiring and very musical. The comments from the judges helped me improve my singing in areas which needed developing. I’ve also learnt that there are a large number of extremely talented singers in Australia, who can now show off their talent, and this saga will continue as we discover more singers. In the future, I would like to learn some semi/light classical music. When I’m not singing and playing my guitar, I love playing video games and fishing. To listeners and readers, I say: Thank you for being such avid listeners. It is an audience like you that makes this show successful. So please keep listening and supporting us, and we promise to entertain you to the best of our