Away from the well known Sharukh Khan’s and John Abraham’s of this world, comes 23-year old Sonny Singh, a computer Engineer from Rainham, Essex. Sonny won the 2006 Mr. Maya Contest, held in conjunction with the Miss Maya Pageant in London, “It was the weirdest feeling,” he says. “I was told about the contest that was being held online, and entered on the off-chance, within a week I’d taken the majority votes, I couldn’t believe it!.”

The Mr Maya Contest proved to be the beginning of a very exciting career for Sonny. When asked how winning the Mr Maya title elevated his career, he responded, “It made me so much more confident in myself and it was the first real push that gave me that desire to succeed.”

After attaining the Mr Maya title, Sonny was automatically entered to run for the 2007 title for Mr England. “Everything was happening so fast, to be put through to Mr England was a dream come true, which I’m very thankful for, as this opened further opportunities for me.”

Travelling the Distance

More opportunities did come his way. After winning Mr Maya and prior to entering Mr England, Sonny was approached to take part in the 2007 Manhunt Competition held in Korea. When asked about the experience of competing in an event abroad, he said “Korea was a unique and opportune time for me. The event was very prestigious, it had a lot more contestants than Mr Maya, and it was a lot tougher as we had so many diverse runway shows and clothes to wear. It was definitely fun, and Korea was great in terms of the culture and extravagance it presented.”

Personal Honour

On returning to the UK, Sonny began preparing for the 2007 Mr. England showcase Finale. Along with his fellow Mr. England contestants, Sonny set foot on the runway of Athena in Leicester, in front of a full capacity crowd and a panel of experienced and distinguished judges. Sonny was selected to win based on the decision of the panel as well as the results of a separate online text vote. To win such an outstanding award that carries such immense prestige would be a dream for anyone, however for Sonny Singh it signified a much more personal achievement, “It was so much more than just winning, I felt really proud to be the first Asian male to win in history, and I felt like I was honouring my heritage. It felt that bit more special, I’d hope for more aspiring young Asian males to try it in the future.”

After his success in winning the acclaimed title, Sonny has travelled to Bombay, taking part in various fashion photo shoots. When asked how the trip has affected the scope of his career to date, he said, “India is amazing, it’s home at the end of the day. I had a PR tour and was introduced to loads of photographers and directors from the heart of the Indian modelling industry. Again it proved to be a unique chance to taste the industry and its dynamics in a different country - I loved it! I would love to get the chance to go back.”

So what does the future hold for our Essex born Sonny? “Well, I’m thankful to God for everything I have been fortunate enough to experience over the last couple of years, 2008 looks to be very promising and prosperous, work is so varied for me right now. I’ve just taken part in the Zee Carnival, which was seriously hard work but equally enjoyable. The biggest event for me this year will be representing the UK in the Mr World 2008 Competition in China.” With such a busy schedule ahead of him, how does Sonny find time to relax? “Oh, I always find time to relax! I enjoy just chilling with my friends, listening to music, eating out. I’m a normal Essex guy who is thankful to have gotten the chance to work with some amazing people and I wouldn’t swap it for anything”.

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