With nearly 7 million YouTube views of her platinum certified single Meant to Be and DJ Afrojack remix with almost 15 million views, international pop star Ananya Birla who is building a female led empire and has emerged as a leading agent of social change and women’s rights in India and the world. In addition to selling millions of records and gracing international magazine covers, Ananya is a thriving entrepreneur who creates companies based upon giving power and support to women from her home country of India and around the world.
After releasing her debut international single Livin’ the Life, co-written by highly sought-after music producer Jim Beanz and later remixed by popular Dutch DJ Afrojack, the singer/song writer recently released her newest single Meant to Be. Birla’s latest dance track is shaping up to be another mega hit for the fast-rising pop sensation already becoming certified gold and her sensational music video generating almost 7 million views on YouTube in a mere 2 months.
Lets hear more from this international singing sensation in a candid chat with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
With nearly 7 million YouTube views of your new platinum certified single Meant to Be and DJ Afrojack remix with 14 million views, you have become one of the top International Pop Sensations. Tell us about this spectacular journey that has taken you to where you are now in the world of singing?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
It has been absolutely amazing.
I have always been obsessed with music and have been singing and playing instruments for as long as I can remember. I decided to make it a career when I was studying in the UK. I was having a difficult time adjusting, and began to use singing and songwriting as an escape. I would go to random gigs around London every weekend and, however small the audience, it would make me feel better. I knew that this life was what I wanted to devote myself to.
Eventually, I was approached by Universal Music India. I remember being so nervous when I pitched my music to them. I performed an early song of mine called ‘I Don’t Want To Love’ and they responded really well and signed me up. I was so excited!
There have been some challenges along the way, but nothing worthwhile ever is ever easy. My debut single was generally well-received, but I also received some criticism. It comes with the territory but it is a difficult hurdle to overcome.
I feel like I found my sound with my second single ‘Meant To Be’. I am so happy that people have responded so well to it and that it has gone platinum.
We have a load of music coming out in 2018 and we will begin touring soon too.
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your latest dance track is shaping up to be a mega hit with the music video generating almost 7 million views on YouTube in a mere 2 months. How does it feel to have your song being loved and appreciated by all?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
It’s awesome! Being able to make a career out of what I love and knowing that people appreciate what I am doing is such an amazing feeling.
There’s so much hard work and emotion that goes in to every song and everyone who worked on the project was delighted when the platinum status was announced. During the production and writing process, we focused on developing something that was hopeful, soulful, honest and relatable. I think people really picked up on that.
It is such a surreal feeling when I hear it playing in the club or when it pops up on the radio when I’m driving.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What is the role of fitness and healthy eating in your life?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
It is important, I wouldn’t be able to perform if I wasn’t healthy. I have always believed that if you take care of your body, it’ll take care of you. My main instrument is my voice, so I have to stay healthy for the sake of my throat, if I am run-down it’s going to be so much tougher to spend hours in the studio singing. But for me, healthy eating and fitness is not just about how you look; it is also about an inner happiness and overall well-being. I’ve been on a mission to smash the stigma around mental health recently, we should all be talking more about how a healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body.
Sometimes, I feel lazy and just want to stay in bed all day, but I know that even a quick 20-minute workout in the morning is the best way to get my endorphins going, which will make me feel better emotionally and physically for the rest of the day. I try to eat well. A healthy, balanced diet is really important. I believe that you never have to eat less, you just have to eat right and create healthy habits. It’s not about putting restrictions on yourself. People can be hard on themselves, I think we need to stop focusing on our flaws and appreciate what we love about our bodies.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hair to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
My make-up artist and hair stylist do that for me so kudos to them. Because I’m busy and travelling a lot, I tend to be pretty low maintenance. I don’t wear much make-up for everyday stuff and I find that keeping things natural and simple actually helps my skin look better. I prefer a few great products that really work for me, rather than having a complicated routine. I’m more inclined to experiment with my clothing style and music playlist than with my hair! Keeping things as simple and natural as possible is what suits me, beauty-wise.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine that you may wish to share?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
I like mixing up my routine. It is important to combat the monotony of gym workouts, so sometimes I go for kickboxing or Pilates or aerial yoga.
When I make it to the gym I am a big fan of HIIT drills. It means I can get a lot done in a short period of time with maximum impact. My go-to routine focuses on legs and abs – blending together squats, lunges, deadlifts with intermittent crunches. I always start and finish with a plank which is fantastic for engaging the core.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Elaborate about your experience on working with DJ Afrojack?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
It was an amazing experience to work with someone who had achieved so much, so early in my career. He is really cool, super talented and loves making music more than anything, he was also happy to spend some time helping me to do things better. Working with him was an amazing learning experience.
It is so important to gel well with the people you work with. As soon as I met Nick (Afrojack) we clicked. I look forward to working with him again in the future!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your first start-up, Svatantra Microfinance, started for helping the poor become economically self-sustainable, supports women entrepreneurs in the Indian rural areas to further grow their business. As of April 2016, the company has grown to more than 600 employees across 70 branches in four Indian states, and won the Gold Award for Best Start-Up. Tell us about the catalyst that drives you to help and be a support for other women?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
We now have 1000 employees and more than 100 branches across 5 states, the organization is growing and spreading in to new communities everyday.
I have always been very conscious of inequality in India, and I felt compelled to build something that could address this in a sustainable and empowering way. Svatantra, which means freedom in Hindi, provides loans to disadvantaged, rural women to help them grow their businesses. As a female entrepreneur, I wanted to build a platform which encourages other women in India to also fulfil their business potential.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you have any future plans of exploring the acting or modeling world like the other famous singers (we bet your fans would love to see more of you)?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
Music is what I am truly passionate about and it is what I’m devoting myself wholeheartedly to right now, but who knows what the future will bring??
I have the best of both worlds at the moment because I get to act in my music videos. I love being able to get into character and become someone else for a short period. Sometimes I think that people can get confused between the parts which I play and my real self, it can be a challenge to disentangle the two.
Modelling is a totally different ball game, and not something I have given much thought to. It is a really cut-throat and tough industry, and I commend anyone who does well in that world. It’s emotionally and physically taxing.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding singers, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of singing?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
I believe that if you have a dream, you should own it and do everything in your power to make it a reality. The beginning is always the hardest, but don’t give up – life is way too short not to do what you love.
Even though it was always my passion, it was difficult for me to build up the courage to turn music into a career. Many people encouraged me to do something more conventional or predictable. Overcoming fear isn’t easy, but it is important. Arianna Huffington once said that fearlessness was like a muscle, the more she exercised it, the stronger it became, and I really relate to that.
The best thing young musicians can do is to keep on performing, keep writing, keep making music and always be sending it to industry people, however many times you have done it before. When you write: be authentic, and write from the heart – don’t conform or change your music to fit a mold of what you think people want, you are far more likely to connect with people when your music is real.
But you also need to acknowledge feedback and constructive criticism. It’s difficult and I really struggled to absorb it when I started out, but it is important to surround yourself with people who will be straight up with you and tell you if something is not up to scratch.
It is a tough industry that will weed out the people who are not truly committed to it. It takes a lot of hard work, but remember that all the most successful musicians started where you are today.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
With an audience of over 214k followers on your Instagram account @ananya_birla you’re a social media sensation and an internet leading star. How does it feel to be able to inspire the lives of so many individuals?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
I have such an amazing group of engaged followers on my social channels, I love that I can interact directly with such a massive group of people so quickly and easily. They are my greatest advocates and harshest critics at the same time.
More often than not I am more inspired by my followers. I did this amazing campaign when I first launched Meant To Be, I brought some fans together to talk about the moments in their life that they felt were ‘meant to be’. The stories they told were amazing, way more personal and impactful than I could have imagined. That they trusted me enough to share them was so inspiring.
I just started a vlog which you can check out, I hope this helps people to understand who I am and get to know me on a deeper level. There is only so much you can say in a social media post and I want my followers to know the real me, not just tiny snippets. So often, what we see on social media is a carefully choreographed highlight reel of someone’s life, I think it’s important to show people something real – the positives and the negatives.
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. It can be an incredibly powerful and positive force and I love it for creative self-expression, inspiration and motivation. But I also believe it has also taken people further away from genuine, real-life human connection which is the most important thing.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for our readers?
Ms. Ananya Birla:
The site is great and I am so happy to be featured. It is great for getting great tips on diet, workout and general motivation. There is so much about this on the internet, all saying different things. You guys manage to make it concise and easy to digest which is really helpful. Thank you for having me!
Follow her on:
- https://twitter.com/ananya_birla
- https://www.instagram.com/ananya_birla/
- https://www.facebook.com/AnanyaBirlaOfficial
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness.