MUMBAI: Introducing singer/songwriter Anushqa who broke out on the music scene with the first season of India’s only English singing talent hunt show `The Stage’. Having signed to the Universal Music Group in India, Anushqa is now aligned to internationally renowned label VIRGIN EMI – home to Emeli Sande, Bastille, The Vamps, James Bay to name a few - which will be her label in the United Kingdom.

Anushqa’s debut International single titled Something In Common will be launched this August – the music video of which is being wrapped up in London, however, the label has soft released a track titled “Ecstasy” today.

Ecstasy composed and written by Rishi Rich and Anushqa, is a bass heavy pop track laced with Indian folk `alaaps’ that retains her Indian roots.

Anushqa said “When I was a contestant on the stage I had no prior experience in this field. Feedback from the judges was immensely helpful to make my self a better artist each day and Devraj has been a mentor to me since the first episode of the show. I think the real journey began post the show. I went over to the universal music office for a songwriting session once and things just took off from there.”

Ted Cockle, President, Virgin EMI Records said, “The moment Devraj Sanyal introduced us to Anushqa, we knew that we wanted to be involved and help her find her fans in the UK.  She perfectly balances the style and energy of her home market in India but with a quality of voice that is global and some youthful swagger that the British will adore. At Virgin EMI, we are thrilled to partner with our UMG India colleagues and help launch their new artists to the world.”

Universal Music Group India and South Asia MD & CEO Devraj Sanyal said, “In my three years of being a judge on The Stage, one artist who I fell in love with musically almost immediately was Anushqa from Season one. She is one of the most prolific singer / songwriters in English we have in India and we have been working with her very closely to develop her sound which is very international but with a thumbprint which is distinctly Indian. After almost 24 months of work I am very proud to have Anushqa release globally on the iconic UK label Virgin EMI. Her first single “Ecstasy” drops today worldwide, followed by her main single which drops shortly after, culminating into her debut EP later this year. For us at Universal India it’s a historic moment as we begin our journey of crossing over exciting new talent from emerging markets into the massive world of global music & artists.”

Anushqa was discovered on Viacom18’s English singing talent show `The Stage’ on COLORS Infinity, India’s leading English Entertainment channel, where she was a finalist on Season 1.  With her powerful and confident performances, Anushqa stunned audiences as well as the judges which included Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal.  She was signed on to UMG India immediately post the show.

Speaking about Anushqa, Head Viacom18 Youth, Music and English Entertainment Ferzad Palia, “When we started The Stage on Colors Infinity, we had a single-minded aim to provide a platform for Indian singers who sang in English. It was of course hugely encouraging to find so many young people coming forward and taking advantage of this opportunity.

And today, to see, one of our show alumnus, Anushqa, who was a finalist on season 1achieved such success is truly the best possible result of all our efforts. It is indeed a proud moment for us to have recognized and brought such a great talent to the fore and I wish Anushqa who is an extraordinary singer – all the luck in the world. I hope she finds even more success and inspires others to follow in her footsteps.”

While in studio preparing for the launch of her career with UMG, Anushqa wrote and performed two songs, ‘Stay a little longer’ and ‘Lost without you’ for prolific Bollywood director Mohit Suri’s film Half Girlfriend. Currently, Anushqa is wrapping up music for her debut EP which will release later this year preceded by a couple of exciting singles including Ecstasy.