Why Ananya Birla's success was Meant To Be

by LAUREN CODLING

AFTER a string of hit records, including platinum record sales in India and millions of views on YouTube, singer Ananya Birla seems unstoppable.

In addition to her successful singing career, Birla has several entrepreneurial and philanthropy projects under her belt and has been referred to as one of the top 50 power women in the world.

And she is only 23 years old.

However, the Indian musician said she is still getting used to the positive reaction to her music.

“I don’t think I had any expectations – it was quite unexpected,” Birla told Eastern Eye in

London. “I got into [music] because I loved it so much. I didn’t really think of the results as such. It’s so amazing to see so many people have reacted with so much love.”

Birla learned the santoor when she was nine years and taught herself the guitar and piano with YouTube tutorials when she was a teenager.

Her debut Livin The Life was released in 2016 and launched Birla straight into the spotlight. Today, her second single Meant To Be has hit platinum record sales in India, and she has become the first Indian artist with an English single to do so.

Her combined views on YouTube total more than 20 million.

With such a massive fan base in India, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Birla venture into Bollywood, but she insists it isn’t an area of the industry she is interested in.

“People have asked me, but it isn’t what lies in my heart,” she said. “I don’t believe in doing anything you’re not passionate about. You need to put in the hours and you can’t do

that if you’re not passionate.

“Music is my thing and that’s what I want to stick to.”

Birla has become something of a role model for young girls – she regularly receives thank you messages from fans who appreciate her positive messages of self-love and embracing imperfections – but she said it was a “shock” when she heard of her role model status.

“It’s a very big term, but I do realise and acknowledge it and I feel very blessed to be in this position,” she said. “There’s the pressure to do the right thing because there

are people looking up to you. The best role model is someone who are themselves, who are authentic and show their real personality. We all are imperfect, but when we start covering those [flaws up], I personally think I will start becoming a bad role model.”

Birla’s family is well regarded in India. Her father, Kumar Mangalam Birla, is an Indian industrialist and the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate. He

is regularly listed as the 10th richest man in India.

Despite her successful career, London-based Birla misses her family and emphasised how much she treasures the time she gets to spend with them.

“I just miss family time. It’s such a warm feeling being home with everyone, but I cherish it more now, so when I go back even for five days, I make sure that I’m with them a lot,” she said.

Although she cites music as her “passion”. the Mumbai-born star has launched several philanthropy projects which are close to her heart.

At the age of 17, she set up Swatantra, a scheme to help empower rural women. However, the entrepreneur said her young age was sometimes a challenge to convince others of her credibility.

Business and music may seem like two different worlds, but Birla feels they “cross-pollinate” despite their seemingly diverse directions.

“There’s so many creative ways you can launch your music, such as interesting marketing campaigns, and that is something I’ve learnt from my business background,” she explained. “I realised how important analytic really are to understand your audience and that goes in the business space.

“My business mind helps with lots of things – to the point where you can go to a city and tailor-make your concert, so you can go right to the audience that loves your music the most.”

Since her first business venture, she has also helped to launch Mpower, an initiative that aims to dispel the stigma of mental illness in India.

A recent report claimed India has the highest suicide rates in the world for people aged 14-24, which is a major motivation for Birla.

“There’s a lot of work to do,” she said. “The first thing is everyone needs to accept that mental illness is real and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

The singer explained the stigma means that people are reluctant to discuss mental illness with close friends and family. The issue is exacerbated, Birla said, as you can’t physically see the illness which makes it less likely to be acknowledged.

“People fall in love and believe it, even though its invisible, so why can’t people believe in mental illness when you can actually see the person suffering? That’s what I say when I talk to young people in India,” she said.

Ananya Birla’s latest single Hold On is set to be released on Friday (2).