MUMBAI: To be born in a family of first entrepreneurs and choose a vocation of different stream takes guts. Ananya Birla, eldest daughter of Kumar Manglam Birla, balances both with aplomb, being an entrepreneur and a pop musician. Moreover, she has ably carved a niche for herself as a musician.

“I have learnt from my father that there is no substitute for hard work and I follow that,” says Ananya.

The long-legged beauty began her career in 2016, when she signed with Universal Music India and released her debut single Livin the Life, which was further remixed by DJ AfroJack. All of 23, Ananya, the first Indian musician to be certified Platinum in the English music category, released her fourth single Circles.

Like every one of her four singles, Circles too explores the human emotions. This time it’s about friendship. Her previous single Hold On spoke about adversity faced by people in relationships and how necessary it is to ‘hold on’ and Circles too speaks about, “The song is about friendship and nostalgia. It speaks about reunion with friends with whom you have lost touch.”

The song is written and co-composed by Ananya. Circles according to her will find connect, “People will like it as they will identify with this emotion of meeting a friend after a long time.”

One of the most popular youth icons, Ananya has her head on shoulders, when it comes to music, “I would love to continue with writing, composing and singing by myself. Also, the landscape of music has evolved and there is so much potential to be explored.”

Check the track here –

The songstress is also known for her socially relevant entrepreneurship. She started ‘Mpower’, an initiative to support mental health in India and eliminate the stigma associated with it. She also promotes women empowerment through offering micro loans to women in the Indian countryside to grow their businesses. She however doesn’t see a confluence of her music with her compassion for society. “Music has to be authentic. I cannot do something with a conscious thinking; therefore, till I don’t feel within I won’t do something,” states the singer.

The usual perception about Ananya has been that she has had it easy considering her family background and has received flak for the same. Her response to this criticism however reflects maturity. “People don’t know your story and they can’t be blamed for the same. Along with this criticism, there is so much love flowing my way. I choose to focus on that than be upset with this. If there is any criticism I take it with a pinch of salt. I also have to remember that past five generations of my family, have been in business arena. I am the first one in the family who is in the public eye for something beyond business, so the perception will be different,” says the 23-year-old.

Ananya, as very few might know, has also learnt classical music. “I started learning Santoor when I was very young. I still practice it when I want to meditate, as it brings me peace and happiness.”