Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nicki Minaj has made a habit of doling out nicknames on American Idol.

None has caught on quite as well as the Turbinator.

Gurpreet Singh Sarin marched into the Idol audition room in New York declaring he already had that nickname.

After all, the guy has between 40 and 50 turbans and changes them to match his clothing each day.

He wore a lavender turban to his audition to match his purple-checked shirt, but it might have been the marigold one he left at home that earned him a ticket to Hollywood.

Gurpreet auditioned with Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” and did well enough to get yes votes from Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson. But Keith Urban voted no, questioning whether his voice was bold enough for Idol.

That left Gurpreet’s Idol fate up to Nicki, who had already said he had a good voice, but not a “standout voice.”

So Gurpreet pleaded. Just a little.

“We’re both very vibrant people,” the 22-year-old from North Potomac, Md., said. “I think we can connect on that level. I actually have a marigold turban like your hair. It isn’t all the other colors also, but just give me one more chance. Please.”

Nicki, who happened to be wearing a bright yellow wig that day with all sorts of pink shades mixed in, couldn’t help but smile and vote Gurpreet through to Hollywood.

In his Road to Hollywood video, Gurpreet says his family inspired him to perform, explaining that “we do a lot of Indian classical music, and we bond as a family when we sing and perform with instruments.”

Gurpreet plays guitar, a talent he demonstrated while singing “Georgia on My Mind” during his final Hollywood solo.

He says he also likes blues, jazz and soul and notes that he’s the first member of the Sikh religion to make it as far as he has on Idol.

Here are three videos of Gurpreet performing. For lots more from Gurpreet, head here.

“This Time”

“Cry Me A River”

“Rolling in the Deep”