Wednesday 23 January 2013

The Original Turbanator

It's not often that one sees a Sikh on prime time television, especially one who coordinates his turbans with the rest of his outfit. So when Gurpreet Singh Sarin appeared on American Idol, Sikhs around the world were thrilled. The self-styled Turbanator is a talented singer. Unlike Param Singh on Take Me Out, he managed to present himself well and came away with his dignity intact. He was instantly put through to the next round by judges Mariah Carey and Keith Urban.


However, Gurpreet isn't the first turban-wearing Sikh to appear on a reality TV show for aspiring singers. Back in 2002 a turbaned man appeared on Popstars: The Rivals, the same show that started the careers of Girls Aloud. He performed a bizzare bhangra version of Holly Valance's Kiss Kiss which left judges Geri Halliwell and Pete Waterman bemused. Unlike Gurpreet, he didn't get through to the next round.

In the days before youtube, twitter and facebook, the clip went viral when people sent it to their friends via email.  The funky caterpillar was attempted on a few dancefloors and I even saw a parody performed at a party.But the clip was quickly forgotten along with One True Voice, the boyband who were created by the show to rival Girls Aloud.

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