Parijita Bastola is a Nepali-American singer and songwriter, most known for appearing in season 22 of “The Voice”. One of the most popular contestants, she never failed to impress the fans and coaches with her voice and range. She made it to the Top 8 just before elimination— saddening the thousands of fans she gained in her time on the show. Nonetheless, fans still want to know what this promising artist is up to. Without further ado, read on to find out what Parijita Bastola is doing now.
Her early life and family background
Parijita Bastola was born in 2004 in Maryland, USA to Nepali native parents – her family relocated to the US shortly before her birth, owing to the political unrest in Nepal. She has an older sister who grew up in India, being separated from the family. Nonetheless, her family is tight knit; she cites her sister as one of the inspirations for her singing interest. She grew up in Severna Park where she attended both elementary and middle school, and where she currently attends Severna Park High School. Her family own a local restaurant where they incorporate their Nepali roots with a modern twist in the food they serve. One family hobby pastime is tuning in to “The Voice” every Monday, even closing early to watch the singing competition. Little did they know that Parijita would soon become one of the most popular contestants in their favorite show.
Her interest in singing
Parijita became interested in singing early on in her childhood, thanks to an entertainment group her father owned, managing Nepali bands who came to the US to do nationwide tours. Always having the musicians around encouraged and inspired a young Parijita to sing, but she also learnt to play a number of instruments, and cites her piano teacher for further pushing her to the singing path. It wasn’t until she reached the seventh grade that Parijita gave her first school performance, and began taking vocal lessons from long-time coach Jennifer Marie. Jennifer commented ‘She has this tone that can’t be taught… she’s a natural and she sings from the heart. That’s why so many people connect with her’.
The Show—“The Voice”
“The Voice” is an American televised singing competition produced by NBC. The 22nd season of the show premiered on 19th September, 2022, with coaches John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Camilla Cabello and Blake Shelton, along with host Carson Daly. The show has a number of rounds that a contestant has to pass through, some depending on their coaches and others on the public vote. The contestant successfully passing through all the rounds wins $100,000, and a recording deal.
Her performance in the show
Parijita had her blind audition for the show on the 27th September, performing Labyrinth’s “Jealous”. John Legend was the first to turn his chair for the artist, gradually followed by the other three coaches: Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and Camila Cabello. She was praised for her rendition of the song, with coach Camila saying, ‘That was probably my favorite that anybody has sung so far… So masterful’. She was the only artist that night who got all four coaches to turn for her, eventually choosing team John Legend. Prior to her performance, Parijita gifted each coach with Rudraksha beads from her native Nepal, and placed them around the coach’s necks.
In the next round— the Battle round— she performed the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” and advanced to the next round— the Knockout round— where she performed “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Etta James. For her Top 16 performance, she gave an emotional rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “I’ll Never Love Again”, leaving the audience and coaches in awe, receiving a standing ovation from the coaches, with fans taking to social media to applaud her performance.
The next round was the Top 13, when she sang a cover of Adele’s “All I Ask”, especially close to her since she had won a previous Nepali competition singing the song. Once again, she impressed fans and coaches alike, with coach John saying ‘… how technically amazing your voice is… What a beautiful vocal performance, it was really, really wonderful’. Coach Blake also commented, ‘You are easily one of my favorites in this competition that isn’t on my team. I love you because you’re 100% you. You’re not trying to be anybody else’.
Nervous about the eliminations coming up, Parijita was thankful for the journey so far, saying, ‘It doesn’t even feel like a competition at times, It feels like a group of friends who get to sing on a stage together in front of four awesome singers. The fact that I get to do that is just the biggest gift ever.’. Nonetheless, the Severna Park native advanced to the next round where she sang “Scars to Your Beautiful” in the Top 10, and Sia’ s “Unstoppable” in the Top 8.
Parijita Bastola is just an absolute superstarrrrr pic.twitter.com/pGTZBp8e6d
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) December 6, 2022
Elimination from the show
Unfortunately, her Top 8 performance led her to be in the bottom 4 contestants and she had to perform one last song. She went up against Kim Cruse, Omar Jose Cardona and Justin Aaron to win the public’s vote by singing Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love”. The instant save went to Omar Jose, making him the last member of Team John and eliminating the other three performers.
Moments before her elimination, Parijita was given a chance to talk about her journey on the competition so far and what it’s meant to her. She acknowledged her growth since the blind audition, and was glad to have picked John Legend as her coach. He was the one who selected her songs, knowing her strengths and weaknesses and coached her well. She said, ‘… You had the best interest in my heart and I’m just so grateful to have had you as my coach. I’m forever changed’. John’s response was equally as heartfelt, praising the gifted singer for her spirit and how proud she makes her parents. He shared, ‘… you represent your family and your culture so well. You’ve been on this show throughout this journey, and I just feel blessed that I get to spend time with someone as gifted as you…’.
However, fans online feel her elimination was undeserved, and thought that she was wrongfully eliminated. In a recent poll by Gold Derby, fans voted a leading 35% that Parijita was wrongfully eliminated, as compared to her fellow eliminated contestants.
Making history
The young artist made history by being the first Nepali-American artist to audition and gain selection for “The Voice”. On her time in the show, she made sure to include her culture in her performances, even with the outfits she wore. She told PEOPLE, ‘Nepal’s not a country that most people know about, and there’s not much Nepalese representation on TV or in media. So I think it’s super cool that I’m able to talk about my family and the clothes that I wear on the show’. She has realized that being herself and showcasing her Nepali roots has helped her teach Americans about her culture. Although she’s honored to be the first Nepali-American competing on the prestigious show, she hopes to not be the last.
Gaining worldwide support and popularity
Parijita always impressed viewers and the coaches with her performances – she always called her vocal coach to cool off her nervousness right before taking the stage. Throughout her time on the show, she gained a huge following and won many hearts nationwide. Before her Top 10 performance, coach John Legend revealed that she’s gained some celebrity fans – former “The Voice” coach, Nick Jonas and his actress wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas sent coach John a direct message on Instagram, praising her performances. He said, ‘… told me how much they love you and love seeing you wear your saree.’ To which Parijita excitedly shouted, ‘You’re kidding! For my American heartthrob and my Indian heartthrob to both tell me that they love what I’m doing on the show, having celebrity fans, it’s insane’.
She gained the support of her local community in Severna Park; Her hometown cheered her on from Sullivan’s Cove, a local restaurant, and even offered a special ‘Pear-l-Jita Margarita’ in her name. Her bandmates, schoolmates and neighbors also cheered her on her journey. Its no secret that her family were her biggest cheerleaders, even closing their restaurant early to tune in to her performance.
What is she up to now?
Singing with band— Bastola
In one of her high school performances, amongst the impressed audience was Zane Brennan and his family. Zane, a fellow student at Severna Park, reached out and asked if she would be interested in being a part of the blues band he was forming. Although initially reluctant due to her unfamiliarity with the blues genre, and unsure of how it would be possible, Parijita agreed to practice with the band. For a while, there were many changing members of the band until the current line-up formed in 2020, with Parijita as the lead vocalist, Jack as the bass player, Bennet Terhune and Jesse Kegley as guitarists and Dylan Hood as drummer. As for their band name, they had decided to use one of the members’ last name and finally settled on Parijita’s. The band covers songs of artists such as Rihanna, Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin, and regularly gig at bars, restaurants and other local events. They’ve even had a couple of paid gigs as well! Unsurprisingly, each member of the band has been professionally training since a young age, and their combined talent has earned them many opportunities. Most recently, Bastola were selected to compete at the 2022 International Blues Challenge, a worldwide scout for blues performers and bands looking for their big break. The band members were expectedly excited yet nervous to be exposed at such a huge event in front of the best blues’ artists. Nonetheless, the band performed flawlessly and experienced their biggest international stage yet, even generating a few standing ovations from judges and the crowd!
https://www.facebook.com/parijitasings/posts/pfbid031giABwXiURACfEZKB8MvG5qfXzZPp5PTaeUbJA537mJBFkHyQ7kif2tR1MDG5qnYl
Where can you find her?
Parijita can be found on several social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok where she regularly posts updates on her singing journey, band engagements and other events in her life. Her Instagram account boasts a following of over 41,000, while her TikTok has almost 11,000 followers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClzdJfLv7Q4/
What’s in the future for her?
Parijita is currently still a high school scholar, juggling academics, band rehearsals, and pursuing her dream career; she plans to study music in her upcoming college years. Although she’s not yet sure of the school or career path she’ll follow, she’s determined to be in the music industry. As she showcased in “The Voice”, Parijita is one extremely talented teen to look out for in the near future. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
