Sonika Vaid, 20, is one of the early favorites in the "American Idol" Season 15. The singer, who is of Indian descent, was featured in the premiere of the Fox singing competition show's final season.
Aired on Fox on Jan. 6, "American Idol" Season 15 episode 1 featured auditions in Denver and Atlanta. One of the successful auditionees is Vaid, who grew up in Weston and lives in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, according to Weston Patch.
Vaid sang "Look at Me" by "American Idol" Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, 32, who is one of the most successful winners of the Fox singing competition show. Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban unanimously praised Vaid's performance and agreed to let her move to the Hollywood round.
For Connick Jr., Vaid sang Underwood's "Look at Me" so beautifully that he was "totally engaged" and it was a perfect performance. He added, "This was the only time this particular season that I saw somebody that I actually thought would win this thing. That's a God-given voice."
Urban added that Vaid did not stack her rendition of Underwood's "Look at Me" with "a bunch of clever runs." Instead, the Indian-American contestant "emoted" the song, according to the Australian country singer.
In an interview with Fox 25, Vaid said the first time she can remember singing was when she was three years old at her sister's first birthday. She said she sang "You are My Sunshine" at the time.
"For whoever wanted to come, it was a free for all," Vaid also told the publication about one place where she loves to perform, which is a park in town. "Our school would set up performances and things like Oktoberfest and I would sign up for performances."
According to Vaid, her heart was pounding the entire time during her "American Idol" Season 15 audition. She said she could not tell if she was going to cry or laugh uncontrollably but she just tried to stay as calm as she could despite all the emotions going through her mind at the time.
If Vaid wins "American Idol" Season 15, she will be the first Asian winner of the Fox singing competition show. Among the Asian contestants who almost won were Jasmine Trias and Jessica Sanchez, who are both of Filipino descent.
Watch Vaid's "American Idol" Season 15 audition here:
