The Stage 3 winner Siddhant Sharma talks about winning the competition and future plans

The Stage 3 finally concluded it’s incredible third season and in a magical, musical episode — Siddhant Sharma from Kolkata took home the coveted title, a Renault KWID, a chance to perform at Vh1 Supersonic 2018 and a contract with MTV Music Project. [caption id=“attachment_4254951” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Siddhant Sharma - winner of The Stage 3.[/caption] Firstpost caught up with the supremely talented Siddhant and had an exclusive chat about his journey on The Stage, his best and worst moments, his biggest support throughout the competition and more. How does it feel to have won the competition? I’m a man made of failures. Failure does not scare me and that’s probably the reason why I wasn’t tense about winning or losing. I guess that’s one reason why I didn’t react properly upon winning — because I never expected it. I just wanted to be on a platform like The Stage and let people experience a taste of rock ’n’ roll music. It’s feels great to have won. To be the guy who the country showered all their love upon and to be the guy who the judges believed in. Winning The Stage is a huge step towards connecting with a wider  audience and I couldn’t be more grateful and thankful. What was going on in your head seconds before your name was announced? When Vishal sir called us on stage, I was calculating in my head about who could win. Then I started thinking about how the shoots are going to end and nothing will happen after this very moment. All the shoots, rehearsals, everything ends here. I was actually feeling bad more than anything else. As I stood there I wasn’t really thinking about whether my name was going to be called out. However, it was excitement mixed with tension. What was the change that you underwent as an artist from season 2 to season 3 - which got you from not getting selected to winning the title? I started singing around the time that season 2 of The Stage was holding auditions so I hadn’t really discovered myself as an artist. I was unsure, the stability wasn’t there — the throw, the expressions, the power, nothing. A lot was missing. Then I went back and I worked really damn hard. Practicing anywhere between eight to 3 hours was compulsory for me. I used to get really frustrated and irritated that I couldn’t see the growth in me. That I just couldn’t feel it. Then I left Kolkata and moved to Mumbai alone. I would lock myself up in a room and I stayed in that room practicing for about eight months. That was the time in which I found myself as an artist. On stage, I could be the guy I hide from people. I learned how to be more than just a good singer — I tried to become someone who can give you a wholistic experience and take you on a crazy ride. [caption id=“attachment_4255065” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Siddhant Sharma, winner of The Stage 3, with the judges Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal.[/caption] Who or what was your biggest support during your journey on The Stage 3? From the audience to the people who follow me on social media (whom I honestly consider my family ), to the judges, Jenny — our vocal coach, the crew members , my fellow contestants. It’s unbelievable how I had everyone’s support. Even now after the show is over, I keep speaking to my social media family, and I’m still getting so many messages every day.  I still have 2,600 msgs left to reply to and I’ve been staying up every night to just respond to everyone. It’s pretty crazy. Which was your most memorable performance and why? Both the performances where I was benched are my most memorable ones because I got to learn what I shouldn’t be doing. To me, learning is better than continuously succeeding and then suddenly taking a hard fall. Do you remember a particularly bad performance of yours, after which you thought - I might get eliminated for this? No, I never thought I’ll get out. I knew that even if I had low votes I wouldn’t be eliminated. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being overconfident. It’s just that my bench song, ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith, was something reflective of all the hard work that I had put in and something that I deeply related to. So I knew that if I had to sing that song to grab my last opportunity of being in the competition, I would fare well. What are your future plans? I’m going to start touring and performing original songs with my band Classic Kid Sid. We’re also going to head to college festivals because we’ve been getting a lot of requests for that. I would also love to sing at corporate events and make jingles. There’s so much on my mind right now. All I’m sure of though is that I won’t let anyone who believe in me down.