Rahul Vaidya

Rahul Vaidya is the second runner-up in Sony's hit reality television show Indian Idol. he was born on Sept 23, 1987, Nagpur.

The son of an engineer with the Maharashtra State Electricity Board, Vaidya grew up in Mumbai, where he studied music under Suresh Wadkar and entered various child talent competitions. While he was a Second Year Junior College student in Mithibai College, he participated in Indian Idol. He has a sister named Shruti and mother Geeta, and is a Maharashtrian.

He finished third on the first season of Indian Idol. He was hotly tipped to win until his defeat in the penultimate round, on February 18, 2005. Eight months later, he released his debut album Tera Intezar. Sajid-Wajid composed the music for his debut album. He sang a duet, Hello Madam, I am your Adam, with fellow Indian Idol runner-up Prajakta Shukre, and God Promise Dil Dola with Shreya Ghoshal in the Bollywood film Shaadi No 1. Vaidya has performed concerts in United States, Bangladesh and The Maldives. Currently he is hosting Jhoom India on Sahara One.

Albums

Indian Idol (March 2005)

Tera Intezar (October 2005)

Yaaron

Singles

Hello Madam (Shaadi No. 1)

God Promise (Shaadi No. 1)

Saanse Meri Saanse (Jigyaasa)

Kabool Kar Le (Jaan-E-Mann)

Aafno Mann (Aafno Mann)

Luki Chupi (Aafno Mann)

Salaam Salaam(Hot Money)

Ek Rupaiyya (Krazzy 4)

Interview

How is life after Indian Idol?
Very hectic. But this is the life we had desired. This was our dream. I'm happy, as I've reached this position from zero.

How did your parents react to your overnight stardom?
They were very happy. I didn't even realise when I became a star because we were shooting for Indian Idol and were so busy that we didn't even know how interested the world was in us. But when I lost and returned home, people used to gather around me. Later, I had to have security for my building!

Was your education affected by the show?
I was in in standard XII when I shot for the show. I have discontinued my studies now, but will do it through correspondence.

Do you meet up with the other contestants now?
We do meet up. It's great fun to be in a group and tour places. I'm close to Abhijeet Sawant, Prajakta Shukre, Aditi Paul and Vishal Kothari. We would go to parties and discotheques. I don't meet Amit Sana often. He has his own set of friends.

How does it feel to have an album of your own?
It was a dream. I always thought I would release an album and my songs would play on the radio. Now, the dream has come true.

Did you always want to be a singer?
I don't come from a musical family. I did not want to become a singer since childhood. But when I was seven, my father was transfered from Nagpur to Mumbai. Once I sang a bhajan for the Ganpati festival and someone gave me Suresh Wadekar Institute's address. After listening to me, Sureshji told my parents that I should take music lessons. I learned music for six years. That's how I became serious about a singing career.

What was the making of your album like?
I would give a lot of suggestions. I wanted to do so many things, but Sajid-Wajid would calm me down. I was a big fan of Sajid-Wajid even before Indian Idol. I've always wanted to meet them and ask them to listen to my songs even if they did not give me work. Sajid-Wajid were very particular about the songs. It was difficult to give a romantic feel to the songs. Also, I'm never depressed, so it took me days to give a sad tone to a song!

Which is your favourite song in the album?
Tere Liye. But Tera intezar will become a commercial hit.


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