Like most performers, Gurpreet Singh Sarin will never forget the first time he performed live on stage. But unlike most, this singer's first public performance had an audience of millions, as he took the American Idol stage to sing Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" for the show's judges and everyone watching at home.
"It was the first time I ever performed with a band," said Sarin, the first-ever Sikh contestant, in what was then 12 seasons of the singing competition.
The University of Maryland grad says that prior to auditioning for the show, his musical background was rooted in Indian classical and devotional music. "I saw a lot of connections between Indian ragas and the blues and jazz music," Sarin said. That connection led him to start posting his own covers of popular R&B songs to YouTube.
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