'I love making history'

Charting her path

Singer-songwriter, Ananya Birla couldn’t have asked for a better start. Her debut International single ‘Livin’ The Life’ has been officially remixed by Dutch DJ Nick van de Wall, professionally known as Afrojack.
     
Ananya is thrilled that the remixed version of her song has Afrojack’s inimitable EDM stamp on it and has elevated the song to a whole new level. She is marvelled by the result of what unexpected collaborations can do. She is also the first Indian artiste to be released on PM:AM Recordings which is home to some of the biggest dance records from across the world.
    
In an interview with Nina C George, Ananya talks about her collaboration with Afrojack and what prompted her to write the song.

How does it feel to have your debut International single to be remixed by Afrojack?
It is just surreal. Afrojack doesn’t remix songs that easily because he’s very choosy. We didn’t expect anything and thought it was a bonus if he ever responded to us. Fortunately for us he loved the track and loved to remix it for us. Working with Afrojack is a dream come true.

What do you think clinched the deal?
We worked hard on the sound and song as well. Afrojack liked the authentic and original nature of the song. He felt that it was avant-garde and nothing like what he had heard before.

What inspired you to write ‘Livin’ The Life’?
I went through a bad patch in my life. ‘Livin’ The Life’ is all about love and that love, is perhaps the strongest emotion that can beat any sort of negative emotion. Everybody goes through a breakup, at least, sometime in their life. The idea of writing my song is to tell people that they are not alone. I wanted the song to be peppy and not get to melancholic.

The video of the song releases on March 20. Tell us about it?  
The post production work of the video was in Bangkok. People will get to see two very different avatars of mine in the video and how they feed off each other. It’s done in a very cool way. The visuals in the video attempts to understand how two contrasting personalities can come together.

Is it challenging to come up with original work all the time?  
There’s no denying that it is tough to write good music that can inspire people. The only way to touch people’s lives is to be true to your own feelings. For any songwriter or someone who is even writing an autobiography, the biggest challenge is in letting the entire world know what you have gone through. It is a very vulnerable feeling because something that was within you is now out there for the whole world to see and hear.

How do you snap out of negativity?
Everybody has ups and  downs and I have my share of dull moments as well and I think that’s what makes an artiste. I am fortunate to have a bunch of friends who always pull me out of any situation. I am also blessed to have a brilliant team who understand who I am and what my intentions are. Good days are more than the bad ones, so in that sense, life is good.

What next?
I love making history, whether in a small or large way, through my contributions to music. I wish to collaborate with all artistes, both established and upcoming. I also want to make music videos that complements my songs. Music is very close to my soul.