She is someone who is much more than just her surname. 22-year-old Ananya Birla, daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla, is all set to turn into a popstar with her debut single Livin’ the Life.
Living the life
A mix of EDM and pop, Ananya’s international music track has been composed and written by her. Talking about the same, she explains, “Livin’ the Life is about celebrating life and spreading love and kindness around the world.”
The single is the result of Ananya’s year-long collaboration with American producer Jim Beanz, who has worked with international popstars such as Demi Lovato and Nelly Furtado, to name a few. The duo recorded the track in a studio in Philadelphia. “I’m following my dream. I’ve always loved music and believed in making music.”
Love for music
Ananya’s rendezvous with music began quite early. She played the santoor and guitar while growing up, and counts The Fray, Ed Sheeran and Cheryl Cole as her inspirations. She says, “I started writing poetry when I was 12 and also undertook vocal training since a young age. However, it was only during my time at the University of Oxford did the musician in me come alive. Singing while playing my guitar at live gigs became a regular occurrence, so much so that in two years I had performed at over 70 gig. In short — I found my calling.”
Turning point
The artist shares that her mom played a great role in shaping her initial years and made sure that Ananya was always busy doing something constructive. “From Lego to puzzles, sketching, calligraphy, learning to play the santoor to activities like learning table tennis, swimming, playing football, etc., my early years were busy,” says Ananya.
She adds, “I feel because of all that, I am now tuned in such a way that I cannot sit idle for more than a day.”
Speaking about opting to be homeschooled from the age of 16, the artiste says, “Proper utilisation of time was one of the prime reasons for this decision. I used to leave for school around 6 am and came back home by 4. While homeschooling, I used to start early and finish my studies by 1 pm. Hence, I got ample time to explore new avenues.”
This fifth-generation entrepreneur from the Birla clan started her first venture (Svatantra) at the age of 17, a microfinance company providing affordable financial and non-financial solutions to rural women using technology. “I just follow my heart. Aside from this venture, I also run an e-commerce website promoting artisans while trying to reach out to the urban audience.”
For the society
The young entrepreneur also runs a mental health awareness initiative along with her mother called MPower. “A very large segment of the Indian population suffers from mental illness and still nobody addresses these issues openly. I was shocked when I found out that India had one of the highest suicide rates in the world. My initiative aims to reach out to people feeling anxious, depressed or troubled and help them feel alright,” she says.
Future plans
Over the next five years, she plans to grow her businesses with an aim to be recognised as a successful singer-songwriter.
“The idea is to create a platform and reach out to people through a business that is both profitable and sustainable. My other goal is to be recognised as a successful singer-songwriter and touch people’s souls.”
