Neelanjana Ray is an Indian singer who became famous after winning the title of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2022 (Season 30).
Wiki/Biography
Neelanjana Ray was born on Thursday, 4 December 2003 (age 18 years; as of 2021) in Alipurduar, West Bengal. Her zodiac sign is Sagittarius. She attended Netaji Vidyapith Higher Secondary School, Alipurduar, West Bengal, for her primary and secondary education.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Family
Neelanjana was born in a middle-class family in Alipurduar, West Bengal
Parents & Siblings
Her father’s name is Subhash Ray and mother’s name is Rinku Das. Both her parents are school teachers.
Career
Neelanjana Ray started her singing career by participating in Voice of India Kids Season 2, a singing reality competition television series for kids, which went on air on 11 November 2017 on StarPlus. The judges for the show were Papon, Shaan, Palak Muchhal, and Neeti Mohan. Each contestant was assigned to a mentor for his/her training. Neelanjana competed in the show under the mentorship of Shaan. She received great comments for her performance though out the competition but ended up as the runner-up of the ‘Voice of India Kids.’ She won Rs. 10 Lakh as the prize money.
Neelanjana Ray, in 2018, auditioned for Sony Entertainment Television’s singing reality show Indian Idol Junior Season 10. Javed Ali, Neha Kakkar, and Vishal Dadlani were the judges on the show and it was hosted by Manish Paul. Ray mesmerized the judges with her each performance and in no time became one of the favourite contestants of the judges. Vishal Dadlani, singer and judge of Indian Idol Junior, praised her by comparing her melodious voice and singing skills to the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar after Neelanjana sang one of Lata’s songs. On the finale, she was announced as the the 2nd runner up- the second runner-up and was rewarded with a sum of Rs 1 Lakh. Neelanjana rose to popularity after appearing as a contestant on the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2021. The hindi-language reality singing television show was judged by Vishal Dadlani, Himesh Reshammiya, and Shankar Mahadevan. Ray enhanced her singing with each passing episode and received huge appreciation from the judges as well as the audience.
The finale of the show was held on 8 March 2022, and she was announced to be the winner of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2021. Neelanjana Ray received the prestigious trophy along with a cheque worth Rs 10 lakh. During the media interaction after the finale, she expressed her gratitude and said,
I am so happy to have won Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2021 and extremely grateful to the audience for all their appreciation and love. This is such a surreal moment for me, and I really can’t believe that this incredible journey has come to an end. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has been such an enriching experience. There is a lot that I have had the opportunity to learn from our judges, the mentors, and the grand jury members who have been extremely supportive and encouraging throughout our journey.”
Talking about her experience on the show, she said,
Of course, I will miss the extensive training and rehearsal sessions that we regularly had. But, most of all, I will cherish all those priceless moments that I spent with my fellow contestants, bonding with them cheering them on. Everyone on our set has been like a family member to me, and I would love to thank Zee TV for providing me with this amazing opportunity.”
Facts/Trivia
- Neelanjana Ray has sung the promo song of Sony Entertainment Television’s ‘Vighnaharta Ganesh,’ a hindu mythology drama series, along with Salman Ali, Nitin Kumar, and Ankush, her co-contestants of the Indian Idol show.
- When during a media interaction, she was asked about her inspiration for music, she answered
It has to be my parents, who have supported me unconditionally. They are the ones who guided me in my career. They used to take the trouble and take me for my classes where my teacher used to train me. Both my parents are music lovers. After them, I admire Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, and Mohammed Rafi. They have established music and defined music.”
- Neelanjana Ray has done a number of stage shows alongside many Bollywood stars in India as well as internationally.
- Her favourite moment on the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa show was meeting Raveena Tandon, when she came as a guest on the show. Recalling it, she said,
In her episode I got an opportunity to sing a very different song, which was originally sung by SPB (SP Balasubrahmanyam) sir. There is one antara by Lata (Mangeshkar) ji too, but mainly its SPB sir’s song. I sang “Tumse Jo Dekhte Hi Pyar Hua” (from Patthar Ke Phool).”
- Ray enjoys a massive fan following on her social media accounts. She has more than 288k followers on Instagram and 123 k followers on Facebook.
- She has a YouTube channel named ‘Neelanjana Ray,’ where she posts her music videos. She has more than more than 35k followers on her channel.
- The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa winner also enjoys lyrics writing and composing music. She released her first original song titled ‘Thank you so much’ on 3 October 2019, which was fully dedicated to her parents for all their love and support.
- She enjoys playing different musical instruments including guitar, piano, and the harmonium.
- In 2019, DUARS Committee of Alipurduar honoured Neelanjana Ray with the Duars Ratna.
- Having a great voice and performing with such sincerity, she is often compared to many renowned singers like Shreya Ghoshal. In an interview, while talking about such comparisons, she said,
I do feel overwhelmed that people compared me to such a talented singer. She has been an inspiration to me. But I really wish that people know me as Neelanjana Ray instead of the next Shreya Ghoshal. I want to be known for my own voice.”