Indian Idol Junior Winner Anjana Padmanabhan Gets Honest About Growing Up, Performing At New York's Times Square, And Singing In 14 Languages

At just 10, Anjana Padmanabhan stood under the bright lights of Indian Idol Junior and captured a nation’s heart. Over a decade later, the spotlight is brighter, the stage bigger, and the story more layered. This October, the singer (now in her early 20s) will perform at Times Square, New York City, as part of the tenth-anniversary celebration of Diwali at Times Square in New York.

For Anjana, it’s not just another gig; it’s a full-circle moment that connects the little girl who once sang her way into living rooms across India to the confident artist now representing Indian music on a global platform. Her 30-minute set promises to be a multilingual sonic journey featuring pop, classical, and cross-cultural collaborations, including a special duet with Indian Idol 13 winner Rishi Singh.

But what makes Anjana’s Times Square debut truly special is the way it blends heart with heritage. Her performance will feature a playful jugalbandi between the Kazoo (the quirky wind instrument that went viral during her Idol days) and Konnakol (the vocal percussion art form that has long been the heartbeat of Carnatic music). Even her outfit tells a story that she excitedly recounts to us during the interview.

“Every performance is personal to me,” Anjana says, reflecting on the journey that’s brought her here. From mastering 14 languages to finding her voice in multiple genres, she’s evolving into an artist who sings to bridge cultures. Excerpts from an interview with ETV Bharat:

Anjana sings in 14 languages (Image courtesy the artiste)

1. Times Square is one of the most iconic stages in the world. When you first heard you’d be performing there for Diwali, what was your immediate reaction?

The first time I heard about it, I really needed some time to process what was happening. But before I get into that, I have to sincerely thank Manish Sood sir of Intense Entertainment. The opportunities he provides to young artists like me and Rishi are helping us transition from TV shows to performing in the US, and now being part of something as huge as this. I am incredibly grateful to him. He called the two of us while we were in the US doing a show. We had just come out of the hotel and were sitting down for lunch. If I remember correctly, then he told us that this was going to happen. It honestly took us some time to realize wow, we’re actually going to be doing this! I’ve seen clips of the event over the years, so knowing that I’m now part of it is surreal.

2. You’re also collaborating with Indian Idol 13 winner Rishi Singh. How did that partnership come together, and what can fans expect from your duet?

Yes, the collaboration with Rishi is special. The two of us are really good friends, and we’re so excited to be doing this together. Over the past year, especially in America, we’ve performed a lot of shows together, and we’ve gotten to know each other really well. We share a lot of similar tastes in music and love discussing it. When we found out we were going to be performing, we thought, instead of only doing solo acts, why not create something together as a duet? That is how this idea came about, and we curated it carefully.

We’ll be performing an original song of ours that hasn’t been released or performed anywhere else. No one knows it except the two of us. The audience at Times Square will hear it for the very first time, and later we’ll release it for everyone to enjoy. I’m extremely excited about this performance and can’t wait for people to experience it.

3. Your setlist for Times Square includes a mix of high-energy songs, solos, duets, and multilingual medleys. How did you go about curating the performance?

Yes, I have always been known as an artist who experiments a lot with my songs, doing new renditions and arrangements of whatever I perform. That is just who I am, and I love bringing my own essence to every performance putting myself and my identity as an artist into everything I sing. For this performance, there will be a lot of high energy songs, including some high energy duets. The curation process was quite simple. I chose songs that I personally connect to and saw potential in songs where I could create my own renditions and build a new soundscape or arrangement. The curation wasn’t difficult at all. I picked songs that resonated with me and gave me the space to truly be myself.

3. You’re performing a special jugalbandi between the Kazoo and Konnakol, that’s an unexpected pairing! How did this idea come about?

Both of these elements are deeply rooted in tradition, but more than Kazoo, I would say Konnakol is a very special one. It has been an integral part of Carnatic music and South Indian culture for years. Personally, as an artist, I’ve had the privilege of seeing some of the greatest artists perform and even sharing the stage with masters who take this art form forward Konnakol artists, mridangam players, ghatam players, and musicians of various South Indian percussion instruments.

Growing up in South India, I’ve been immersed in this music since I was a kid, with my mom playing a lot of Carnatic music for me. So for me, I couldn’t think of a better platform than Times Square to bring this to the world. It is the biggest crossroads globally with people from all over visitors, locals, everyone. It felt like the perfect place to truly represent who I am at my core and share elements of music that have shaped me as an artist.

As for Kazoo, I initially played it experimentally during a performance on Indian Idol in front of Sukhwinder Singh ji, singing Dard-e-Disco. That clip went viral, and the love and support I received inspired me to take Kazoo seriously. Since its sound is very close to that of the Nadaswaram (another South Indian instrument), I thought it would be amazing to pair the two together for a classic track.

5. You’re known for singing in over 14 languages. How do you internalize the emotion of a song when it’s in a language that isn’t your mother tongue?

When I was a kid during my time on Indian Idol Junior, I didn’t really know Hindi. I would literally memorize the lyrics and perform them. That’s how I approached it back then. One thing I realized is that melody and composition themselves are incredible communicators. You don’t always need words to understand the emotion a song conveys. There are so many instances of this. For example, someone listening to the BGM (background music) of Kantara who doesn’t understand Kannada or the culture can still be moved by it. That’s the power of music, melodies, and compositions.

For me, music communicates the majority of the emotion. In fact, about 90% of what a song conveys comes through the melody, more than the lyrics. Even if it’s in my mother tongue, I first try to understand the story that the melody is telling me. That’s always been my approach. Growing up in Bangalore, speaking a different language at home, I experienced two different South Indian cultures. I also watched many Malayalam and Telugu films, so Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu are the languages that I understand very well.

My dad is from the Kolkata, and he introduced me to music from that region. Whenever I need to sing something from there, he helps me understand songs in Bengali, Assamese, and so on. Living in Mumbai has helped me connect with Marathi music. So, over the years, I’ve had support from my family and friends across different cultures and languages, which has helped me understand the meaning and emotion behind every song I perform.

6. Your Times Square outfit is made from your grandmother’s and mother’s Kanjivaram sarees — that’s such a beautiful tribute. What inspired that idea? The fact that your best friend Keerthika designed it makes it even more special.

Honestly, the idea came to me when I was curating the set for Times Square. There were so many thoughts running through my mind musically. I was bringing together elements like Konnakol and the Kazoo, blending different sounds, and while I was doing that, a random thought struck me. I realized that when it comes to fashion too, I wanted to present my truest self, who I really am, where I come from, my cultural roots, and who I am as an artist.

The first thing that came to my mind was my mom’s wedding album. She was wearing this beautiful Kanjeevaram saree, and I thought, “Why don’t we actually use this?” So I literally ran to her and said, “Amma, I have this idea… would you be okay sharing some of your sarees?” I explained that we wouldn’t just use the sarees as they are, we'd use the fabric to create something new. She immediately said yes.

In August, I was in Bangalore staying at my best friend Keerthika's place, I had just found out about Times Square a week or two earlier. She had just finished her education in fashion and started working in the field. So I said to her, “You know what, I have this idea. I’d really love for you to design this for me.” She was beyond excited. We immediately started making Pinterest boards to figure out the direction. Over the next two months, we went back and forth constantly. When I came back to Mumbai, we were on FaceTime almost every day, discussing ideas and sharing designs. She would send me videos showing random sketches and design options.

Eventually, I sent all the sarees from Mumbai to her in Bangalore. She got everything stitched and created, and then sent it back to me in Mumbai. What makes it even more special is that this outfit involves so many people who mean the world to me: my mom, my grandmother (we’ve used two of her sarees), and my best friend, who’s like family to me.

7. Do you ever feel the weight of being known as a “child prodigy”? Or do you think you’ve successfully moved beyond that label?

Not really. When I was a child, and won Indian Idol Junior, there were a lot of people who really loved what I did on the show, my talent, and everything that came with it. So at that time, yes, the label was definitely there. But over time, I’ve been able to move on from that. The reason I say this is because my sound as an artist has evolved so much over the years. Who I am today as a musician is very different from who I was as a child. I can see people recognizing that growth and talking about it, which, for me, is the biggest achievement.

8. You mentioned working on original music and collaborations. Can you give us a hint about the kind of sound or message you’re exploring now?

The message is actually beyond just the sound. I’d say it’s a true depiction of who I am and where I come from, but presented in a very modern pop space. I’m genuinely very excited about it. It’s something I’ve been working on for years, trying to discover who I am and what my sound truly is. And I’ve realized that this is what excites me the most. Honestly, I don’t want to give away too much, but I can definitely say that it’s a very real and honest reflection of me.

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