American IdolOn September 19, 2006, Malakar auditioned for American Idol in Seattle, with his 19-year-old sister Shyamali, and both received invitations to the Hollywood round. However, Shyamali was cut from the show at the end of the round.
Malakar cited Stevie Wonder as his idol, and sang one of Wonder's signature songs, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" at his Seattle audition. For his performance as a finalist, Malakar performed "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." The judges have been largely critical of his performances since the audition, though Simon Cowell admitted that Malakar is popular with the voters while Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul gave a more positive appraisal of his "You Really Got Me" performance in the Top 11.
On March 27, Malakar sang No Doubt's "Bathwater" wearing a fauxhawk made from multiple ponytails. The style was called the "ponyhawk" by host Ryan Seacrest. While singing, Malakar forgot some of the words to the song. The following night, host Seacrest walked out on stage wearing a wig with the same hairstyle, parodying Malakar.
On April 3, Tony Bennett was the featured celebrity on the show, and he met with each performer. Malakar sang "Cheek to Cheek," wearing a white suit, donning a slick hairstyle (with a recent cut), and dancing with judge Paula Abdul.
On the April 4 results show, it was revealed that Malakar had finished in the "middle three," among nine contestants.
Malakar's performance of "Bésame Mucho" in the Top 8 on April 10 was his first universally praised performance by the judges in the finals of the competition. Randy Jackson commented, "You’re one of the smartest contestants I’ve ever met. That was actually really good. It was.", while Simon Cowell offered the halting, "I’m going to hate myself for this. It wasn’t horrible." Jennifer Lopez said, "I like this kid. I love Sanjaya!" after hearing him sing in Spanish in rehearsal, the only one of the remaining eight contestants to do so. Malakar avoided elimination on the April 11 results show, and entered the Top 7.
