Meet 22-year-old Ananya Birla, the successful entrepreneur who decided to turn popstar

At the age of 17, Ananya Birla, daughter of Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and philanthropist Neerja Birla decided to ignore the weight of her surname and followed her heart by starting her own microfinance company called Svantantra Microfinance.

The success that followed made one thing evident-Ananya Birla doesn’t waste time in pursuing and realising her dreams.

At a time when most people her age are struggling to find clarity and direction, Ananya on the other hand is exuding brilliance in everything she undertakes.

Since then, she has gone on to become an active campaigner of mental health besides launching her own e-commerce venture, Curocarte. But, she isn’t done.

One would think she would take it easy for a while after what she’s managed to achieve at such an young age; but Ananya Birla continues to surprise.

Now 22, she is making waves in her new avatar- a popstar.

Last Saturday, the young musician launched her debut international single ‘Livin’ the life’ in a glitzy event in Mumbai which was attended by Hrithik Roshan, Sooraj Pancholi, Dino Morea and Sohail Khan. A mix of EDM and pop, the track has been mixed by Dutch DJ Afrojack and composed and written by Ananya and American producer Jim Beanz. The duo then recorded the track at a studio in Philadelphia.

The single was a result of a one-year long collaboration between her and Beanz, who has previously worked with international popstars Demi Lovato, Nelly Furtado to name a few.

“Livin’ the Life’ is all about celebrating life and spreading love and kindness in the world. By coming out of adversity, one can start to see beauty, and that’s how the song came about,” she states when asked about the inspiration for her debut single.

Many would call this shift of hers from a successful entrepreneur to the newest musician on the block unforeseen, but as it turns out, it was always on the cards.

Ananya’s tryst with music began early. She played the santoor and guitar while growing up and counts The Fray, Ed Sheeran and Cheryl Cole as her inspiration.

However, it was only during her time at University of Oxford, did the musician inside her breathe life. Singing and playing the guitar at live gigs became a regular occurrence so much so that in two years, she had performed at over 70 gigs and in essence, found her calling.

She now writes lyrics, composes music and has plans to launch a soul and R&B album soon. Infact, she has already started writing her next track. It goes without saying that music consumes her.

When you ask Ananya, what music means to her, pat comes the reply. “To me, music is about life in totality and love in its purest form. It’s about capturing and expressing your emotions and celebrating everything about life.”

Ananya is quite clear about one thing- her future as a musician doesn’t necessary have to intertwine with Bollywood. Instead, her priority is to give people access to music platforms through her organisation, One.

Watch her song here:



Image credit: Vogue