Ananya Birla: Life Is a Rhythm

Founder of two social initiatives and a music sensation, Ananya Birla has taken the front seat and is not giving it up for anyone.

She is tough, she is raw, she is someone who loves how after a long day, she comes back to have dinner at home with people closest to her. Music is her middle name, as she wishes to build her own legacy. This is none other than Ananya Birla. What’s more, she also holds strong entrepreneurial skills. Currently, she is planning to collaborate with international artists. We got into a conversation with her as she spills the beans.

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When was the first time you decided that you wanted a career in music?

Music was a massive part of my childhood. I played the santoor when I was young, and then taught myself the guitar so I could compose and put a melody to my lyrics. I knew for a long time that I wanted to be a singer-songwriter. Going to the UK for college gave me the distance and perspective that I needed.

Apart from music, you are also a founder of Mpower and Svatantra. How did that come about?

When I was 17, I wanted to build a sustainable platform to empower women to fulfill their potential and to promote small businesses. This is why I had set up Svatantra. From struggling to finding our first client and secure our license, we have now built an amazing team, and reached over five and a half lakh women.

I established Mpower with my mom, because I wanted to provide people with the same access to help that I was so fortunate to have during my own struggles. At Mpower, we have walk in centres, which provide holistic care solutions to anyone who is struggling, or their families who want to know how to help.

Since you started out very young, what were some of the challenges that you faced?

When I started, my age singled me out and made people doubt my abilities. I was also at a point in my life where I was still learning about myself. It was tough, but it encouraged me to work even harder to prove myself, and to establish myself beyond just my last name.

How do you take criticism? We remember when your first song came out, there were mixed reviews and not everyone took it well. What was your take away from the experience?

Making music means making yourself vulnerable to the world, which can be overwhelming. You learn quickly that dealing with criticism comes with the industry, but it is one of the hardest things to overcome. The best way to manage it is to remind yourself that everything creative, whether its music, art or cinema is subjective and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. When Livin’ The Life came out, I was still finding my feet in the industry. It was tough to read some of the comments, but it really motivated me to come out and do even better. I’m happy at how well people are responding now.

How was growing up with the surname you have? How much influence did ‘Birla’ have on you?

When I was younger, I was pretty intimidated by the weight of my family’s achievements. But my family has always been super supportive and encouraged me to be independent and to carve my own path. The best piece of guidance they ever gave me was to try my best and leave the rest to God. It reminds me that sometimes you need to accept that you can’t control everything and there are forces larger than you at play

When working on a new song, where do you look for inspiration?

All my songs are personal to me and generally based on personal experiences. I usually talk about themes that are universally relatable like love, loss, and friendship, the things we all experience. I get inspired by the people I meet all around the world. Having that physical distance from your everyday life helps you to get emotional perspective. You can start seeing patterns and themes emerge, and what you want to express has space to come in to focus.

Take us through the writing process of your songs?

It depends on the single. In most cases I’ve been particularly moved by something; an experience or a relationship, and need to put it down on paper. I’ll spend time turning something really rough and giving it a structure, then I take it to the studio and we start to add melodies and chords that fit. It’s very much based on my mood: How do I feel? What do I want to hear? What does this emotion sound like? At times I may start with a beat, and then put a melody to the beat and let the lyrics follow.

Any bands or singers in India or abroad who inspire you?

Growing up I really connected with the raw emotion of artists from a wide variety of genres, from Kurt Cobain to Eminem to Adele. They’re all very different but share that they are such engaging performers and their lyrics are full of vulnerability, honesty and emotion. At the moment I’m really into young female artists like Raye and SZA. They are bringing this mix of tenderness and strength to the table through their music which audiences have been craving.

What can the listeners expect from you in 2019?

I just released my latest track, Better and I have collaborated with several artists including Sean Kingston for my first EP.

Cover photography by Vinayak Kulkarni. Fashion editor: Aakanksha Jain. Assistant stylist: Simran Kabra. Makeup by Shefali Sharma. Hair by Teji Singh. Location courtesy: Rocky Star Cocktail and Bar, Mumbai.

From the February 2019 issue of L’Officiel India.