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Without a break

Poised Yashraj Kapil

As an array of reality shows dominates prime time slots on several channels, the genre has consistently catapulted regular people into known personalities overnight. Nineteen-year-old Yashraj Kapil is one such case. The Delhi-based singer who grabbed victory on the reality show Sitaron Ko Chhoona Hai on Real TV is full of poise and confidence. The singer says, “I had a great experience on the show. The show has transformed me into a very confident person. I think I have become a better singer, a better performer and a better human being now.”

The show featured 13 contestants who underwent 3 months of rigorous training in an academy under the guidance of three judges — singer Neha Bhasin of VIVA band fame, musician Prashant Samadhar and Raghu Ram of MTV Roadies fame who heads the academy. The contestants were judged by the three rather than the customary audience vote.

The young vocalist had a nice experience with Raghu Ram who has come to be known as a hard taskmaster following his tryst with MTV Roadies. , “Raghu played a neat role in the show. Everyone knows he is neither a singer nor a performer but he knows all the minor technicalities involved in music. He really boosted our performance by appreciating it with love and warmth and at the same time criticising us mercilessly when we went wrong. He is the best person I have ever met.”

Yashraj studied at St. Andrews Senior Secondary School and later joined the Asian Academy of Film and Television. The singer is trained in Hindustani classical music which he started learning at the age of three. Yashraj was one of the three finalists along with Nilakshi and Shantanu. He performed “Zara Si” and “Piya Re” at the finale. He says, “I always wanted to develop myself and become independent. I have my own style of singing and I add variations to the original tracks and transform them. People don’t want to listen to original songs during live performances. So, this is my USP. I have never liked standing straight while singing. I just give it my cent percent and that makes the impact.” The vocalist has also won a music contract with Times Music. “I want to be recognised as my parents’ answer to Sonu Nigam,” Yashraj concludes.

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