Talented singer Pawandeep Rajan, who won the 12 season of singing reality show "Indian Idol", says the victory has given him the confidence to work harder.
Rajan, who hails from Champawat, Uttarakhand, was announced as the winner of the show late Sunday evening following a 12-hour musical extravaganza billed as 'The Greatest Finale Ever' on Sony TV.
Before Indian Idol 12, Rajan had won The Voice India in 2015.
He has performed in more than a thousand live shows in around 13 countries including Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa, and many more.
Born on July 27, 1996, Rajan comes from a musical background as his father, Suresh Rajan, is also a renowned Kumaoni folk singer. His sister, Jyotideep Rajan, is a singer as well.
Apart from singing, Rhan plays musical instruments such as the guitar, keyboard, tabla, piano and dholak.
Infact, he won the youngest tabla player award at the age of 2. He has also been honoured as the Youth Ambassador of Uttarakhand by the State Government.
The singer said winning the title of Indian Idol season 12 was "unbelievable."
"I am overwhelmed and feel so fortunate. This is a responsibility and I will ensure to take the glory ahead. This has made me more confident to work. I was so nervous during the audition, I thought I would not even get selected. But the journey was nice.
"I learnt a lot from the judges, the team. 'Indian Idol' acted as a bridge to my dreams. I hope the fans continue to shower me with love," Rajan said in a statement.
The singer was awarded with a cheque of Rs 25 lakh from Sony Entertainment Television and a Maruti Suzuki Swift car.
Finalists Arunita Kanjilal and Sayli Kamble were declared as the first and second runners-up respectively. They were awarded Rs 5 lakh each.
The third and the fourth runners-up, Mohd. Danish and Nihal Tauro were awarded Rs 3 lakh each.
The "Indian Idol" season 12 was hosted by singer Aditya Narayan. Notable personalities from the music industry Anu Malik, Himesh Reshammiya and Sonu Kakkar were the judges.
