Interview with Ananya, Influential Philanthropist and Recording Artist's Global Impact on Mental Health and Financial Solutions

We were honored to interview Ananya, an influential philanthropist and recording artist who is changing perceptions on diversity in the entertainment industry and creating a global impact on mental health and financial solutions.

Ananya, you are one of the first musicians from India to break through in the West, you have hit nearly 350 million combined streams, collaborated with artists from Afrojack to Sean Kingston, and performed alongside Coldplay and Wiz Khalifa, what has your success in music meant to you personally as a musician from India?"  

I have a long way to go, but I’m loving the journey. I feel so lucky to get to live my passion every single day – particularly over the last year, which has been so difficult for everyone, music has been a lifeline through the heaviness and isolation.  When I got to LA at the beginning of 2020, my management had set up all these shows and appearances- then everything shut down.  So, like everyone, we had to be so resourceful to get our work done.  I really wanted to get some music out so I made a studio in my spare room at home – hanging blankets and pillows all over the place, and did all the production over zoom. It was kind of back to basics, which really allowed me to connect with the tracks. I’m so glad people out here connected with the music once it was out. It’s  still crazy to me that I went from doing little open mic nights around London to getting play outs on US radio and getting to working with the amazing people I have, whether its Wiz, Sean Kingston or Afrojack, I feel totally, immeasurably grateful - not to mention vindicated. When I was starting out, I had to really fight to make myself heard, there was not a lot of artists making the kind of music I wanted to make in India and it was tough to stay true to myself and what I believed in.  I am so so happy that I did – now I pride myself on being unapologetically me! It’s amazing to have the streams, but the best thing is when someone reaches out to me to tell me that they connected with something in one of my songs and it maybe helped them through something or made them feel less alone. Music always did that for me, and if I can do that for others then that is what this is all about. That is success for me.  

What do you think your success in music means to musicians in or from India?   

I really want to make India proud of what I am doing out here. It’s not that common for artists to venture out.  When I was starting out, there weren’t a lot of people who looked like me, making the kind of music I wanted to make and it was tough not having anyone to identify with and follow in the footsteps of. Hopefully what I am doing will encourage  other musicians back home to feel more confident about thinking internationally when they are creating. There’s so much talent there that deserves to be heard on a global stage.  

As an entrepreneur, you have set up “Svatantra “, which means freedom in Hindi, when you were only 17 to provide financial solutions to underserved women in rural India. You now have over a million customers.  Do you have any favorite personal stories on the impact you have had on the financial solutions to underserved women in rural India? 

Every single client we have supported is important to me. In India the divide between rich and poor is incredibly wide. I recognize myself as enormously privileged, and I feel it is my duty to give back. We are able to reach the most marginalized women in the country: women who otherwise wouldn’t have access to banks or to financial assistance. We put the infrastructure in place so that women can help themselves, and have a hand in their own future. It is an honor to do so.  Whenever I am back in India I always take a bit of time to catch up with a few clients to see if what we are doing is continuing to make a positive impact. Before the pandemic, I went to go and see one of our very first clients, a lady who offered beauty services but at the time did not have the money to grow her business. I was so inspired when I went back, in the few years since she became a client she now has a proper business which employs four other women, and she has been able to get her daughter into full time education too. It is a testament to the fact that when women are able to earn and own and determine their own futures, entire communities are uplifted. 

You also have a mental health organization in India, “Mpower”, which is set up after your own struggles whilst at Oxford University. You are also an ambassador for NAMI, the largest mental health organization in the US. Through this work you are ranked one of GQs most influential Indians.  How important is mental health advocacy to you as an entrepreneur?  

It's incredibly important to me that I can use whatever platform I build to do some good – otherwise what’s the point?  When I was at college in the UK I struggled a lot with anxiety and panic attacks. Between my studies, running my businesses back in India, working on my music and trying to maintain a social life, I was totally burnt out… It took me a while to come to terms with it all, but eventually, I was lucky enough to get the professional help I needed. I know from personal experience that the consequences of just ‘sweeping it under the rug’ are awful and how important professional help can be so I wanted to make sure that everyone back home was able to get access to the same support that I was.  India is in the grip of a mental health crisis, and it’s only been made worse by the awful impact COVID has had. Depression and suicide rates are on the rise, and people are too scared to reach out for help because of the stigma, lack of awareness,  – or just because there isn’t enough support. At MPower, we campaign to stamp out the stigma and  provide amazing care for people living with mental health issues who have been ignored or discriminated against. We want people to know that its ok not to be ok sometimes and that there is help available should they need it. Through the Ananya Birla Foundation, I am also working on a study on mental health and care in rural India which I hope will drive much needed change in those hard to reach places.  I’ve also recently teamed up with NAMI in the US, to support them with their amazing work around mental health here. They provide advocacy and support so people and families affected by mental health conditions can build better lives. We teamed up at the end of last year and its been amazing to help them spread their message.   

Ananya,  you WERE ON THE COVER Vogue India LAST month, can you talk about changing the perceptions of Indian musicians in the US and the increasing appetite for diversity  

I am proud that I get to challenge people’s idea of what an Indian musician sounds like. Most people just think of Bollywood. And don’t get me wrong – I love some of that stuff, but there is so, so much more to Indian music.  I think streaming platforms like Spotify and social media have allowed audiences to find music that they never would have come across otherwise, which is great for artists not just in India but around the world. It also means young people are getting influenced by a whole range of styles and sounds. 

You have had to overcome cultural stereotypes to drop out of Oxford University and pursue music, can you comment on that process?   

For a while I was definitely that super bookish student who was so focused on my grades – like many kids I felt a particular pressure to succeed. I really wanted to make that work, but  however much I tried, that path just didn’t feel like me.  I used to play little shows at sketchy bars around London every weekend, and that was what made me feel complete. There was nothing on earth that made me happier - that feeling of being on stage was so addictive, the opportunity songwriting gave me to process my emotions and channel my pain and fear into creativity was incomparable.  I dropped out in my second year. I knew what I wanted to do, and I knew if I had any chance of succeeding then I had to commit every part of myself to it. It was scary to turn my back on a traditional career path and that security, but it wouldn’t have made me happy. I have no regrets.  

Lastly, you yourself are someone who has battled and has overcome mental health struggles, what was that process like and do you have any advice you can lend to other artists or fans who may be going through a similar situation? I remember feeling utterly alone, and utterly ashamed. So what I would like to say is: it’s okay not to be okay, in fact it’s normal - most of us will go through it at some stage. What’s not okay is to suffer in silence. Mental illness isn’t a sign of weakness, and asking for help can be the strongest thing you ever do.