Sanjaya Malakar will take over the Nationwide Insurance ads from K-Fed. He is filming the commercial today in India.
Before he shot the commercial, he did a quick Q&A why he said yes to doing the ad and then some.
Q. What made you want to star in the new ad for Nationwide
Sanjaya: I’ve always liked Nationwide’s ads because I think they are really funny and they have a good message – be prepared for your life to change in the future. The point of the ad is that you have to have a plan for your retirement, which I think is important. Nationwide came up with a concept that I liked a lot. They’re trying to reach Americans of South Asian descent with this ad, but I think everyone will think it’s funny.
Q. The theme of the new Nationwide ad is “Life Comes at You Fast.” How have you experienced that in your life?
Sanjaya: American Idol was like a dream come true. When I started, nobody knew who I was. I was just one of the thousands of people with a dream who took a shot. As the season progressed more and more people began to recognize me. It was great to get so much support from fans. The show opened a lot of doors for me. Now I’m looking forward to the next stage of my career. It’s really exciting. I don’t know exactly what will happen, but there are some great possibilities.
Q. What’s next for Sanjaya?
Sanjaya: I’ve got big plans. I just moved to New York and I’m so excited to be living there. I’m looking forward to pursuing some opportunities in acting and modeling. I’m also beginning work on a new album that will be released later this year. I can’t wait for fans to hear it.
I’m looking forward to showing the world a whole new Sanjaya. American Idol was great, but I think there’s a lot more to me than what you saw on the show. The Nationwide commercial is the first of many exciting projects I have planned.
Q. Will we see the crazy hair again?
Sanjaya: Actually – you will see it in the Nationwide ad. It certainly got people’s attention on American Idol so hopefully it helps generate more buzz about the new ad.
I can’t wait to see Sanjaya with his faux hawk again!
