Ananya Birla Shares 5 Artists Helping Her Change Indian Music Stereotypes [TABLES TURNED]
Ananya Birla is a singer-songwriter from Mumbai, but she spends most of her time in London and Los Angeles working on music. Birla is the first Indian born-and-raised artist to go platinum with an English track in India. She has broken down the prominent dominance of Bollywood music with her pop tracks. While she has already seen success in her home country, she is ready to become a breakout artist worldwide, and her debut EP, which is due this April, might be the project to catapult her career.
Birla's pop repertoire continues to grow with her latest release of "Better." The electro-pop love song is her first release of the year and in less than two months the music video has garnered over 11 million views on YouTube. The track is packed with infectious dance beats and synth-filled instrumentals.
Ananya Birla is undoubtedly paving the way for pop music in the Indian music scene. As the expert, we invited her to share some of her personal favorite up-and-coming Indian artists.
Meba Ofilia
Bringing some much needed female representation to the Desi Hip Hop Scene, Meba, along with Big-Ri (of the fantastic Khasi Bloodz), was the winner of MTV EMA Best Indian Act last year. Her lyrics are relatable and her flow is laidback but fierce.
Parekh and Singh
Pastel-suited, Wes Anderson-esque pop duo with a dreamy, feel-good sound who are attracting a global audience. I'm always excited to see what they're gonna do next; it's guaranteed to brighten your day.
Tejas Menon
Tejas is an amazingly talented singer-songwriter with a fantastic voice. He's been on the scene for a while and is finally getting some of the recognition he deserves. He is always smiling and clearly loves what he does too.
Chrms
You can really see Chrms' inspiration which was artists like Odesza and Flume. He's only 17 and is already one of the most exciting electronic talents in India. I particularly love the video for "Heart Races" and can't wait for his first EP later this year.
Easy Wanderlings
Soulful and playful, this band have been doing some mesmerizing performances in India recently. Perfect chill-out music.