Anoop Desai

1986-

Written By: Emily Horton

Related Entries: Clay Aiken [2]; Fantasia Barrino [3]; Kellie Pickler [4]; Chris Daughtry [5]; Bucky Covington [6]; Scotty McCreery [7]

[8]Singer Anoop Desai was born in Cary [9], North Carolina to an Indian father, Manoj Desai, and South African mother, Nalini Desai, on December 20, 1986. He attended Fuller GT Magnet Elementary School [10] and Carnage Middle School [11] in Raleigh [12], then moved to Chapel Hill, where he went to Phillips Middle School [13]and East Chapel Hill High School [14]. At East Chapel Hill High [14], Desai helped found an all-male a cappella group, the Chiefs of Staff. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [15], he continued to pursue his interest in singing as the President Emeritus of the a cappella group, the Clef Hangers [16]. He graduated from UNC-CH in 2008.

Anoop first gained national fame with his performance on the television series American Idol [17], where he took sixth place during season eight in 2008. He has since appeared on several television shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show [18], Regis & Kelly [19], and Mo’Nique [20]. He released his debut EP, All is Fair [21], in 2010, and recently collaborated with UK producers Shayal [22]and Super Producer Sak-Pase on Zero [23] which was released in spring 2011. He currently lives in Atlantic, GA and continues to pursue a career in pop music.

References:

"Anoop Before Idol", WRAL NewsLast. Posted March 27, 2009.  Accessed on March 22, 2012. http://www.wral.com/entertainment/blogpost/4811492/ [24]

Anoop Desai, Official Webpage. Last modified 2012. Accessed on March 22, 2012. http://www.anoopdesai.com/bio [25]

Clef Hangers, Official Webpage. Last modified 2012. Accessed on March 22, 2012. http://www.clefhangers.com/ [16]

Internet Movie Database, Anoop Desai. Last modified 2012. Accessed on March 22, 2012. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3333545/ [26]

TV Guide Biographies, Anoop Desai. Last modified 2012. Accessed on March 22, 2012.http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/anoop-desai/bio/296848 [27]

Image Credits:

Photo made available from Zhang. "Desai." Photo taken October 29, 2010. Available from http://www.flickr.com/photos/zhangya/6323925334/ [8] (accessed March 23, 2012).

Video courtesy of Anoop Desai Music. "Crazy Love- Anoop Desai & The UNC Clef Hangers." Posted November 14, 2009. Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seV45WLLHo0 [28](accessed March 23, 2012).