Ananya Ashok
Tell us a bit about your relationship with your guru Mr. Ramachari? How did he encourage you and your music?
Rama Chary Sir is my first music teacher and one of the biggest reasons for me being a singer today. He identified the talent in me when I was 7 years old. Since then he has been giving me training in his music academy( Little Musicians Academy) and I ' ve learnt most of my music from him. The greatest quality about Sir is that he has never taken any fees from any of his students, despite having more than 500 students now. Apart from music, Sir has also taught me a lot about personality development and discipline. I feel extremely happy when Sir feels proud about my achievements so far.
Singer SP Balasubramaniam introduced you to AR Rahman, and that lead to you lending vocals in Raavan. What was the experience like?
Every singer aspires to do playback for the maestro A R Rahman. I ' ve been very fortunate to sing for AR Sir in the beginning of my career. It was because of my guru Rama Chary Sir and his academy( Little Musicians Academy) that I got this chance. I had performed in the annual day function of LMA where the legendary singer Dr. S. P. Balasubhramanyam was our guest of honor. SPB sir was very impressed with my voice and he promised me that he would recommend me to AR Sir. It was a dream come true for me to sing for AR Sir. He ' s a great musician and my experience with him was very pleasant. I ' m thankful to SPB Sir and AR Sir for giving me ' Behne de ' from Raavan. This song will always remain very close to my heart.
What are some pros and cons about playback singing in your opinion?
I don’ t think there are any cons in my profession. I ' m enjoying the recording sessions that I ' ve been working on these days. Playback singing is a specialized subject in music and I ' m trying to get better there. With the support of some amazing composers and the love of my listeners, I intend to work harder and keep doing better work.
Who are your favorite Music Directors today and why? Who would you love to work with?
It’ s very difficult to choose one composer. Majority of the composers these days are doing fabulous work. Most of my songs are composed by Mithoon sir. I love his music and I feel blessed to have sung some wonderful melodies for him like Phir Mohabbat, Banjaara and Baarish. Also I ' ve had a great time working with Himesh Reshammiya sir on Kick, Xpose and OMG. Many love my unplugged version of Muskurane and I thank Jeet dada for it.
Every singer aspires to do playback for the maestro A R Rahman. I ' ve been very fortunate to sing for AR Sir in the beginning of my career.... It was a dream come true for me to sing for AR Sir. He ' s a great musician and my experience with him was very pleasant.
Do you have any plans to cut a solo album in the near future?
As of now I want to focus completely on my playback-singing career. God has been kind to me that I ' ve got some beautiful songs in the past and I expect the same to continue. Making my own album is certainly not on the cards right now but will consider this as and when I feel is the right time for it.
What are some projects you are currently working on?
My latest release ' Tu Aaina ' from the movie Luckhnowi Ishq is gathering a positive response from the listeners. I ' ve got a few songs coming up soon in the films Barkhaa, Uva, Ishq Click etc. Apart from that I ' ve recorded songs for Himesh ji, Mithoon sir and Jeet dada, which will be releasing later this year.
Breaking into the Bollywood Music field is cutthroat. What are some life lessons you have learned by being in this fast-moving industry?
True. The competition here is intense and it’ s only getting tougher. There are so many things that I ' ve learnt in the past 8 years. I think the most important lesson is one should keep working hard and have patience.
Which artists are your inspiration and why?
Mohammed Rafi sahab has always been my biggest inspiration. I ' ve heard and read much about him and I adore the kind of personality he was, apart from being an exceptional singer. Also I admire Sonu Nigam a lot who ' s undoubtedly the best singer in our country. But my personal favorite singer is KK.
Given a chance to work / collaborate with any musician, who would you choose and why?
I would love to work with Vishal Bharadwaj sir some day as I find his music extremely soulful. I also wish to sing for Amit Trivedi and Sachin-Jigar.
If you could pick an alternate profession in case music didn ' t work out, what would it have been?
I need not think and pick any other profession, as I ' m already an Engineer. Before I decided to move to Mumbai and pursue playback singing, I had completed my Engineering in Electronics and Communication from Hyderabad. If things hadn ' t worked for me here, I would be working in some IT firm and doing a 9-5 job. I thank God for making me a singer and I love it this way. Whether I sing in a studio or perform live before a huge gathering, I just love it.
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