At 23, Ananya Birla is simply Unstoppable! The only Indian artiste to have netted five Platinums back to back through her brilliant vocal renditions in English. She stands tall as an eloquent achiever, exploring and embracing herself with all her perfections and imperfections. A young woman of firm convictions, powered by her passion and humility, she is emotional yet insightful, expressive yet mindful, elegant yet discerning. A curious, endearing mix with the magnetism and charisma of a born artiste.
Excerpts from a conversation:
Why the XXIV tattoo on your forearm?
This is my 14th tattoo. It reminds me that there are only 24 hours in a day and I need to pack in so much more, achieve bigger goals, realise dreams...
What does music mean to you?
Music means magic to me. It is my soul, and half my heart. The other half of my heart and my mind, is business. Music has been my best friend through my growing years. I want to give back to music what it has given to me. My purpose in life is to make good music
You come from one of India’s most successful industrialist families. With your mother Neerja Birla powering multiple initiatives, and father Kumar Mangalam Birla heading an iconic business empire. Does love for music run in your family?
Oh yes. My mother has been playing the santoor since as far as my memory goes. That is how I took to playing the santoor at nine. My father has a golden voice and sings beautifully. So does my brother, and my sister pursues dance as well. Love for the fine arts runs in our family in some way or the other.
You set up your micro finance company, Svatantra, when you were only 17. How did that happen?
While growing up I realised that there was a tacit, urgent need to reach out, encourage and support women entrepreneurs in setting up their own businesses successfully. That is how Svatantra was born. Being a fin tech company we extend loans to women to start their own businesses in rural and semi-urban areas. Call it my vision, my attempt to help bridge the income gap between the rich and the underprivileged. We crossed an annual turnover of 2,000 crores last year and have touched 4 million lives so far.
How hands-on is your involvement?
We have over 270 offices in 10 states. I have a sound team in place, luckily. It was easier to entrust them with the responsibility of micro managing the daily functioning. I am involved deeply in the actual running of Svatantra and the decision making.
What was your family’s reaction when you decided to be a singer?
It was an organic progression for me. My mother simply told me to do what I wanted to do with all my heart. I have experienced some lovely ups and downs but my journey as a singer has been totally worth it. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
What is their reaction to your music?
I write my own lyrics, sometimes I have a co-writer on board with me. The moment I get the first scratch from the studio, I share it on WhatsApp with mom and dad. They are very honest in their opinion. Like mom might say that it sounds lovely but lacks the punch.
And how do you react to their reaction?
See, every single can’t be a Platinum. I have had five back-to-back Platinum hits, the only Indian artiste to have achieved this with English lyrics. I love my country. I feel proud to be able to give back what I have learnt, to be able to share, to excel in what I do. But I also realise that there are hits and misses in everyone’s journey.
Did you ever face any discrimination being a girl child in a traditional Marwari family?
No. Never. My parents have brought up the three of us equally. My mom is very open-minded and has made dad open-minded too. As for the opinion of relatives in the periphery of the family tree, here is what I think: when something is free in life: like a piece of advice from someone who gets judgmental with you, then you have a choice to either take the advice or leave it. I choose to leave it. So extended family, distant relatives have sometimes been a pain. But now that I am successful, the turnaround has happened, as expected. Honestly, my core support system includes my parents, siblings, grand mom, nani, nana, and two buas.
Are you the black sheep of your family?
I am the Platinum sheep!
‘Unstoppable’ is your seventh single. A spot of introspection at this point in your journey?
It is tough for me to describe how precious my journey has been so far. The pivotal difference is that now I can be myself in every way. I find it easier to work on my art. I am comfortable with who I am. Like four years ago I hated taking pictures, but now I am fine with it.
So are you an introvert or an extrovert?
A bit of both. I am essentially an introvert, but when I speak on stage, I shine. I feel I was born to do this.
‘Circles’ brought in a marriage with classical beats through the tabla. A beautiful rendition. What emotion runs through this song?
That single centres around my best friend, who is also my manager, Lola. Love is a powerful emotion. I realised that I hadn’t thanked Lola for being with me, by me, for the past 15 years, like my rock. That is how Running in circles without you... came about. Lola has seen me through everything in life, she is my partner in crime.
And now ‘Unstoppable’.
Yes. Unstoppable is an inspirational song. I love it. I do not make use of auto tune. I simply keep singing and singing and singing till I get the notes right. I am hoping everyone loves Unstoppable. But I know that every single cannot be a Platinum, so am prepared to deal with the response either way.
Why did you set up MPower?
Hoenstly, I had gone through my phases of depression and panic attacks when I was studying in the UK. Music bailed me out. I used to play my guitar, write and create music for 17 hours a day. It was a balm. Through my initiative MPower I want to stamp out stigma associated with mental illness. I want to help others to face their demons at the end of the day.