She means business

At the age of nine, she knew how to play the santoor. At 17, she started her own micro-finance company for women entrepreneurs in rural India. Last year, the Oxford University alumnus released her debut song ‘Livin’ The Life’ and now, the 23-year-old is back with her second international single, ‘Meant to Be’. Ananya Birla’s identity goes well beyond her illustrious surname.

An entrepreneur by mind and musician by heart and soul, the daughter of Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and philanthropist Neerja Birla is on an exciting journey of self-discovery, exploring the complexities of human emotions and experiences through music.

While ‘Livin’ The Life’ had a club vibe, ‘Meant to Be’ is more lounge. “It has a lot more of ‘me’ in it. Anders Frøen, my producer for this song, gave me a lot of creative freedom. I feel like this song is more mine,” says the songstress about her latest electro-pop single. The Norwegian record producer Anders, aka Mood Melodies, has worked with popular international artistes such as Jessie J, Alessia Cara, Zedd, Brandy and Karmin, besides co-producing Alan Walker’s hits ‘Faded’ and ‘Sing Me To Sleep’.

Her biggest musical influence, according to Ananya, has been Eminem. For his creative ability to write down his story, risking vulnerability. “He does that so well with his songs ‘Mockingbird’, ‘I’m Not Afraid’ and ‘Beautiful’. I think the ability to be vulnerable is very tough. I’m (still) learning,” avers the artiste with a penchant for writing poetry.

She needs to pen down thoughts, even if they are single words like ‘sad’ or ‘frustrated’. “Sometimes, you feel very inspired and write a song in a day. Sometimes, you don’t know what to do and it takes months. Personally, the lyrics are what I connect with. I always put across my feelings first and then, I put the melody, after which we approach he producer,” she explains. On her playlist, you’ll find an assorted mix of classics — like ‘Collide’ by Howie Day, ‘She Will Be Loved’ by Maroon 5, ‘Take Your Time’ by Sam Hunt, ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift — as well as new numbers — like ‘Paris’ by Chainsmokers, ‘Attention’ and ‘One Call Away’ by Charlie Puth, ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Castle on the Hill’ by Ed Sheeran. Not to forget, Eminem songs and a fair share of slow Bollywood numbers.

As a nine-year-old, when she saw her mother playing the santoor, she wanted to learn it too. As a teenager, she took a liking for the guitar and learned to play it, courtesy online tutorials. “I think learning the guitar was meant to be. It makes you self-sustainable because you can sing and play at the same time. It is easy to compose music on it; I just felt a connection,” shares Ananya.

While studying economics and management at the University of Oxford, she did quite a few gigs at pubs and clubs in London. She wrote her own lyrics and started composing music. Weren’t folks back home apprehensive? “My father is a really good singer and my mother can play the santoor really well. They’ve always been very supportive of everything I do. They want me to keep doing good work and be happy with whatever I’m doing,” responds the Universal Music Group (India) artiste, keen to go on a tour and perform live soon.

As far as music videos are concerned, the entire process — right from conceptualising the video to post-production, colour grading and editing — excites Ananya. However, as an artiste, streams matter the most. “Views are also super important, but right now it is all about the streams,” she says.

The way we consume music is evolving. Ananya has her own VEVO/YouTube channel; her single was released worldwide across digital platforms. “Though vinyls are always going to be classical, the way we are going with music has a greater reach. People can self-publish on YouTube and ensure they’re heard all around the world,” reasons the first Indian musician to be released on PM: AM Recordings, home to international performers like Tiesto, Alesso and Afrojack.

If she had a time machine, Ananya would love to go back in time to meet her late grandfather, Aditya Vikram Birla. “I have heard so much about him that I want to experience and see what he was all about. But just for two minutes; then, I want to come back,” says the girl with 11 tattoos.

Because there’s so much to do! As the founder and CEO of three entrepreneurial ventures, Ananya has her hands full. Plus, she dreams of making it big internationally as a musician. Attagirl!