Watch: TMU student shines on Canada’s Got Talent
Toronto Metropolitan University student Eshan Sobti sings the iconic How Will I Know by Whitney Houston for his audition on Canada’s Got Talent. (Canada’s Got Talent/YouTube)
Eshan Sobti has always wanted to be a singer – and today, the Toronto Metropolitan University student has that chance.
Sobti, 20, is one of 14 contestants on Canada’s Got Talent. His audition aired this past Tuesday – with all four judges giving him an immediate “yes” to advance to the next round of the nation-wide contest with a $1-million prize.
Delivering a slower-paced, emotional version of Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know”, Sobti brought the crowd and judges to their feet in applause.
“I wanted something iconic and to go out with a bang,” he said. “I knew I had to do it justice because it’s Whitney. But I also knew that doing it in that way, with a slower tempo, was in my range.”
Sobti, a second-year media production student from Mission, B.C., who works part-time as a resident service desk agent in Pitman Hall, watched the audition at his Toronto home surrounded by 30 friends and classmates.
He was also closely connected to his 25 family members in B.C. – and says he “got to watch them watch the show” in a Facetime call when the show aired on the west coast.
Growing up in a Punjabi family, he says he wasn’t always encouraged to pursue the arts, with more traditional professions, such as law, medicine or engineering, considered more favourably.
“It’s not that common to break out into creative industries,” he said. “But, my parents saw this passion in me and now they’re my biggest supporters.”
How it all began
The journey to be on Canada’s Got Talent began last August, when one of his cousins encouraged him to submit an application. A few weeks later, a casting producer reached out, and by the end of September, he was asked to audition.
It isn’t Sobti’s first time in the spotlight. In 2022, when he was 17, he had the opportunity to audition for American Idol. After auditioning in front of Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, he received a “yes” from two out of three, and then a Golden Ticket to Hollywood Week.
He didn’t advance after that, but says that since then, he’s grown as a musician, and the experience inspired him to audition for Canada’s Got Talent. He adds that he loves using “the cry” in his voice, and telling a story when he sings.
It’s no wonder he chose the RTA program in The Creative School at TMU. With the ultimate goal of becoming a singer, he also says he also wants to pursue a career in television – working on shows like the one he’s competing on now.
RTA program ‘stood out’
“I also have always wanted to work in the entertainment industry, especially in the unscripted, reality space. When I found RTA, the courses and hands-on experience really stood out to me, as I wasn’t able to find anything quite like it at any other university I applied to,” he said.
“I just completed my second year, and so far, I’ve had the opportunity to explore so many avenues of media production, from co-hosting a live radio show, to associate producing a food vlog series for MetTV, and even casting for the TARA Awards,” he said. “I’ve made so many meaningful connections and have been able to see where I may fit in this industry.”
He even said that during the audition process for Canada’s Got Talent, he met RTA grads on the set who talked to him about potential future work opportunities.
Sobti and 13 other contestants will compete next in an elimination round of Canada’s Got Talent on Tuesday, May 7 at 8/7c on CityTV.
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