Senior Kavya Sadras grew up surrounded by music in the house. She listened to her father and older sister Pavi singing to her, fostering her desire to take voice lessons and develop her singing abilities.

At times, however, Sadras’ nerves have gotten in the way of her passion for singing but this November, Sadras finally built up her confidence to sign up to audition for Saratoga Idol.

“I’ve wanted to audition for Saratoga Idol every year, but I’ve been way too nervous,” Sadras said. “I’m really glad my friend [senior Gemma Ambrose] convinced me this year.”

At the end of the night, the judges voted her second place for her unique and raspy rendition of David Guetta’s “Titanium.”

“Up on stage when I was performing, I wasn't thinking about much other than how to get my legs to stop visibly shaking,” Sadras said. “But when I got really scared I'd look at my friend Gemma in the audience and she'd mouth ‘I love you’ and I would just look up and keep singing.”

Ever since she began classical voice lessons at age 5, Sadras has continued to develop her voice and dabbled in opera, musical theater and western singing. Although she does not plan to pursue music in college, she sees it remaining a large part in her life.

Despite her love of singing, soloing on stage has been a  challenge.

“The less people on stage, the more people are likely to focus on me individually,” said Sadras. “Not only am I on stage by myself in front of a bunch of people, but I also have to focus on my breathing, the lyrics, the vibrato and technique and not falling over.”

In the end, her participation in the Saratoga Idol turned out to be a huge success. By signing up and performing outside of her comfort zone, Sadras gained a large dose of confidence. Said Sadras: “I’m grateful to everyone that supported me and I want to thank the judges for being amazing.”