After completing his graduation in dental surgery, this young guy whose Chinese forefathers came to India in the 19th century was all set to answer Uncle Sam's call and go to the US for higher studies. Until the reality show bug hit him. He saw an ad for Indian Idol auditions and life changed completely for him thereafter. His innocent style of singing, flirtatious exchanges with co-contestants and Chinese origin made him the most-loved contestant of the third season of Indian Idol. Meet Meiyang Chang, dentist-turned-singer-turned-television-host, and the latest heartthrob of teletown. Tellychakkar spoke to him in one of his first interviews to the media.

How did a dentist become a singer?

(smiles) It is by chance. Dentistry runs in my family – my father is a dentist. He is equally, if not more fond of music. Unfortunately during their times so many opportunities were not there and music continued to be his passion. I inherited my love for music from him. But he also wanted me to have a strong academic base, which is why he sent me to Bangalore from Dhanbad (his home town) to study dentistry. For the same reason, I was going abroad as well. Music would have continued to be my hobby as well, if I had not seen an advertisement of auditions for Indian Idol. My friends had been after me to participate in the auditions right from the first season, but I kept on postponing it. But in 2007 it was now or never for me, since in a few months time I was flying to the US. The rest is something all of you know – I got selected in Indian Idol and here I am today!

But, how did the singer become a television show host?

After Indian Idol got over I was moved with my experience in the show. The way the show encouraged an ordinary singer like me to perform in the Gala round and win love from audience and judges was amazing. I have the best memories of my life in Indian Idol. After the show, three of us – Abhishek, Panna and I – formed a rock band F4 and started doing stage shows. That is when I heard about Indian Idol season four and met Mini mam ( Mathur). I was talking to her about how excited I would be to watch the show as a viewer after being a contestant and was also asking her about how she was preparing to host the show. That is when she told me that she would not be hosting the show because of personal reasons (she was expecting her second child) and Hussain was not available for the audition rounds.

That is when I came to know that the production house was looking for new anchors. I approached them and went for an audition. They asked me to interact with the audience and I passed the test! Since 'Youth' is the tagline for this season, I could be my natural self. After my hosting the Audition round (with Deepali) was successful, I was asked to host the Piano round. By then my work was appreciated from all corners and I was asked to continue for the Gala round as well.

The camaraderie you and Hussain share has been the talk of the town…

Initially I was quite apprehensive about how I would be working with such a senior actor. However, the entire credit for this goes to Hussain Sir. The first day we started shooting, he asked me to stop calling him Sir! He explained that if I called him Sir, we would never be able to develop a good chemistry and it would not look nice on television. He coined the names Partner and Buddy by which we call each other during the show. Only 20 per cent what we speak on the show is scripted, the rest is all impromptu. If we were not comfortable with each other, this would not have been possible.

I used to be very tense about handling the results round since evicting a participant is a very traumatic experience. But his wit made it easy for everyone on the show to pass through that.

But you exude confidence too…

(smiles) I am very confident in front of the camera! Indial Idol 3 was a lovely learning experience for me. I feel very charged up when I am under the arclights and put in my very best. My looks designed by the production team, is also a reason which makes me very confident of myself. My new hairstyle, dress…all play a role in the success of my anchoring.

Who is your favourite finalist of this season and why?

Undoubtedly Rajdeep Chatterjee. He has explored all the genres of songs. Earlier he used to be just a singer – standing at one place and singing. Now he has become a performer as well and that is coming very handy for him. The other favourite is Saurabhee. The only way to describe her is – she is different. What that is I cannot explain, but kucch to hai.

What next for Meiyang Chang?

I have got a one-in-a-million opportunity through Indian Idol. Right now I want to concentrate fully on hosting the show. But of course, I do not want to leave my singing career. Whenever I go to concerts, I am enthralled by the feedback singers get from the live audience. I also want to sing in such a manner that I enthrall my audience and get such feedback. I am working towards that.