Ananya Birla announces pause on music career to focus on business ventures

NEW DELHI: In a heartfelt post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Ananya Birla, the multifaceted artist and businesswoman, revealed her decision to step back from her music career to prioritise her business ventures.

Ananya Birla, known for her chart-topping English-language singles and her entrepreneurial acumen, expressed the difficulty of balancing her music with her growing business commitments.

Her message conveyed the challenges she faces in juggling her music career alongside her business endeavours, where she stated, “Guys, this has been the hardest decision. I’ve reached a stage where balancing both the businesses I run and am building + music is becoming near impossible and it’s taking a toll on me in ways that 1 can’t express”.

She thanked her fans for their support over the years and expressed hope for greater appreciation of English music produced by Indian artists, she posted, “Thank you for all the love for the music I’ve released over the years. I hope one day we can appreciate English music made by our own people as there is so much talent in our own country. Thank you again. It’s time I focus all my energies to the business world”.

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— Ananya Birla (@ananya_birla) May 6, 2024

Ananya Birla, the daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, has made significant strides in both the music industry and the business world. With over 500 million streams, she is India’s largest-selling English-language global pop star, making history as the first Indian artist with an English-language single to go platinum in India.

Her musical journey began at the age of 9 with the santoor, an Indian instrument, and has since evolved to include drumming, piano, and guitar skills. Birla’s success in music has been marked by three back-to-back double platinum-selling singles and two platinum-selling singles.

She has been nominated for the MTV EMA and has garnered international acclaim, featuring on New Music Friday USA and being named one of Sirius Hits Artists To Watch Out For.

Beyond her music career, Birla is also renowned for her entrepreneurial achievements. At the age of 17, she founded Svatantra Microfin, which has become the youngest and fastest-growing microfinance company in India.

Today, Svatantra operates across 78,000 villages in 20 states, impacting over 18 million lives. Birla’s microfinance endeavours have earned her recognition as one of the Economic Times’ Most Promising Women Business Leaders of 2022 and a spot on Forbes Women to Watch cover.

Furthermore, Birla’s influence extends to the fashion industry, where she was unveiled as one of the key faces of Maybelline India. She has been recognized as one of GQ’s Most Influential Young Indians and featured on Miss Vogue’s 28 Geniuses under 28 list.

Her commitment to social impact and innovation is evident in Svatantra’s initiatives, including being the first end-to-end cashless microfinance organization and introducing a customer-facing app aligned with client social behaviours.

Svatantra MHFC, her micro housing arm, focuses on the EWS/LIG segment with a completely branchless model and a GLP of a billion dollars USD. (ANI)