Anoop Desai

Anoop Desai (born December 20, 1986) was a contestant on the eighth season of American Idol, placing 6th. Desai has credited his decision to audition for American Idol to the death of a friend, Eve Carson, who was murdered. Desai is the second Indian American to advance to the final stage of the popular reality show (the first being Season 6's Sanjaya Malakar). Although he was not one of the three finalists chosen out of his semifinal performance group, he returned as a "Wild Card." Simon Cowell saved Desai for last on Wild Card night and after announcing that Matt Giraud had made the Top 12, he then revealed the twist of Season 8 that Desai would also move onto the finals, making it a Top 13. Desai, an only child, grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. While in high school, he founded the Chiefs of Staff a capella group. After being accepted and planning to attend college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Desai auditioned for and was accepted as a member of the UNC Clef Hangers, a long-standing male a capella group founded in 1977. He was the first member of the UNC Clef Hangers to be accepted as a senior in high school with the understanding that he would begin attending the University in the Fall of 2004. Desai served as the group's Music Director during his junior year and as the group's president his senior year. He remains President Emeritus of the UNC Clef Hangers. Desai’s performance as a soloist, along with the Clefs', on the song “She Has No Time” was recognized with the BOCA 2007 (Best of College A Cappella). Anoop wants to make sure that you stay class, San Diego ;) While on the American Idol tour, Anoop Desai became the proud father of Wolfgang Allen-Desai on August 19th 2009. He and Allen raised the little skunk until they lost him on August 20th.