Ananya Birla
Ananyashree Birla | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 17, 1994 India |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, musician, mental health advocate |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Svatantra Microfin Private Limited and Ikai Asai; musician with international releases; mental health activism |
Ananyashree Birla (born 17 July 1994) is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur and musician, and the daughter of industrial magnate Kumar Mangalam Birla.
Early life
Ananya Birla, the eldest child of Kumar Mangalam Birla and Neerja Birla, belongs to the sixth generation of the Birla lineage from Pilani. She showed an early passion for music, beginning to learn the santoor at the age of eleven. She completed her schooling at the American School of Bombay and graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics and management from the University of Oxford in 2011.
Business career
At just 17 years old, Birla established Svatantra Microfin Private Limited, a company focused on offering microloans to women entrepreneurs in rural regions of India.
In 2016, she launched Ikai Asai, a luxury e-commerce platform with a global reach, serving as its founder and CEO. That same year, Forbes recognized her as one of Asia’s Women to Watch.
In November 2023, Svatantra Microfin completed the acquisition of Chaitanya India Fin Credit Limited for ₹1,479 crore. The following year, Svatantra secured ₹1,930 crore in funding from private equity investors Advent International and Multiples.
Birla serves on the boards of multiple companies within the Aditya Birla Group, including Grasim Industries, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, and Hindalco Industries.
Towards the end of 2024, she introduced Sophius, an artificial intelligence platform, at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
In 2025, she ventured into the cosmetics industry by founding Birla Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd. (BCPL), launching brands such as LOVETC and Contraband.
Music career
During her university years, Birla began exploring music by singing, playing guitar, and composing songs. Her debut track "Livin’ the Life," co-written and produced by Jim Beanz and recorded in Philadelphia, gained international attention. A remix by Dutch DJ Afrojack made her the first Indian artist to achieve a global release through PM:AM Recordings, accumulating over 14 million views on YouTube by mid-2017. Several of her songs reached top positions on music charts in 2019.
Her single "Meant to be," released in July 2017, earned Platinum certification from the Indian Music Industry (IMI), making her the first Indian artist with an English-language single to receive this honor. In January 2017, she performed alongside Coldplay at the Global Citizen Festival.
Following singles include "Hold On" (March 2018), "Circles" (June 2018), and "Better" (January 2019), which garnered four million YouTube views within two days. In May 2019, she debuted her EP Fingerprint through UMG and Island Records UK; it featured "Blackout" with Vector and Wurld—one of the pioneering collaborations between Indian and Nigerian musicians.
In September 2019, she released "Day Goes By" featuring Sean Kingston. In 2020, after signing with Maverick Management in Los Angeles, she released “Let There Be Love” and “Everybody's Lost,” becoming the first Indian artist to be featured on an American national top 40 pop radio program, Sirius XM Hits.
Birla has performed at prominent Asian music festivals such as Global Citizen Festival, Oktoberfest, Sunburn Festival—Asia’s largest electronic music event—and toured alongside Wiz Khalifa. Her song "Hindustani Way," composed by A. R. Rahman, was selected as the official anthem supporting the Indian Olympic team during the 2021 Olympics.
Acting career
Birla made her initial foray into acting in 2022 with the song "Inaam" featured in the streaming series Rudra: The Edge of Darkness. She then took on her first full-fledged acting role in 2023, starring in the spy thriller Shlok: The Desi Sherloc, directed by Kunal Kohli.
Musical style
Primarily identified as a pop musician, Birla is noted for her work in dance-pop and EDM genres, though she explores a variety of musical styles. She views music not merely as a profession but as a genuine form of personal expression.
Influences
Her early inspirations include artists like Eminem and Kurt Cobain, whom she respects for their candidness and profound influence on their audiences despite their contrasting musical approaches.
Songwriting
Beginning her musical journey with the santoor during childhood, Birla transitioned to singing and poetry by age 13, which gradually developed into songwriting. While pursuing economics and management studies at Oxford, she self-taught guitar and performed at open mic events in London, deepening her dedication to music.
Campaign work
During her time in England, Birla came across a student helpline dedicated to assisting young individuals dealing with anxiety and depression. After completing university, she returned to India and co-founded MPower with her mother to address mental health stigma on a national scale. MPower also launched a treatment facility catering to children with mental health disorders.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, MPower collaborated with the Government of Maharashtra and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to establish a free 24/7 helpline, which handled 45,000 calls within its first two months.
Birla acts as an ambassador for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the largest grassroots mental health organization in the United States. In 2020, she initiated the Ananya Birla Foundation focusing on COVID-19 relief efforts by distributing menstruation supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and essential goods to women, hospitals, and migrant laborers throughout Maharashtra.
In July 2024, Birla partnered with the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) to improve mental health resources and career guidance for students in Delhi. This program trained psychologists in therapeutic methods such as art-based therapy to encourage creative self-expression among children, aiming to assist over 30,000 students by March 2025.
In April 2025, the Ananya Birla Foundation organized the 'Mpowering Minds Summit 2025' to advocate for immediate reforms in youth mental health by enhancing infrastructure, combating stigma, and incorporating mental health education into school programs.
Honours And Awards
IN BUSINESS
| Year | Title | Awarding Body |
| 2017 | Entrepreneur India’s 35 Under 35 | Entrepreneur India |
| 2018 | Forbes Tycoons of Tomorrow | Forbes |
| 2018 | BusinessWorld 40 Under 40 | BusinessWorld |
| 2018 | GQ’s 50 Most Influential Young Indians | GQ India |
| 2020 | Forbes Ultimate 120 Power List | Forbes |
| 2024 | Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 | Fortune India |
| 2024 | Economic Times 40 Under 40 | Economic Times |
| 2024 | Business Today’s Most Powerful Women in Business | Business Today |
| 2024 | Financial Express Newsmaker of the Year | Financial Express |
| 2024 | Forbes India Cover Feature | Forbes India |
| 2025 | India–UK Achievers Award in Business and Entrepreneurship | British Council & NISAU UK |
| 2025 | Rotary Club of Bombay’s Young Women Achiever Award (Uma Jain Award) | Rotary Club of Bombay |
| 2025 | IOD Global Driving Excellence Award for Leadership (IDEAL Award) | Institute of Directors (IOD) |
| 2025 | Fortune India's Most Powerful Women in Business list | Fortune India |
| 2025 | ELLE India Cover Feature | ELLE India |
IN MUSIC & CULTURE
| Year | Title | Awarding Body |
| 2016 | Trendsetter Young Business Person | ET Panache Trendsetter Awards |
| 2016 | Young Business Woman of the Year | CNBC TV |
| 2017 | Most Stylish Entrepreneur | Hindustan Times |
| 2019 | Young Changemaker Award | Ketto India |
| 2022 | Memento of Honour | The Week |
| 2022 | Kamala Rising Star Award | Ankibai Ghamandiram Gowani Trust |
Extended plays
| Name | Information | Songs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track No. | Song Title | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Duration | ||
| Fingerprint |
|
1. | “Blackout” (featuring Vector and WurlD) | 2:21 | ||
| 2. | "All Night Long" | 3:44 | ||||
| 3. | "Love Suicide" | 3:25 | ||||
| 4. | "Disappear" | 3:13 | ||||
| Overall duration: | 12:44 | |||||
Singles
Studio albums
- Livin The Life (2016)
- Livin The Life (Afrojack Remix) (2017)
- Meant To Be (2017)
- Hold On (2018)
- Circles (2018)
- Better (2019)
- Unstoppable (2019)
- Blackout (2019)
- Day Goes By (feat. Sean Kingston) (2019)
- Let There Be Love (2020) (2023)
- Everybody's Lost (2020)
- Hindustani Way (with A.R. Rahman) (2021)
- When I'm Alone (2021)
- Give Me Up (2021)
- Deny Me (2021)
- Do It Anyway (2021)
- Inaam (feat. Audio Salvage Collective) (2022)
- Beymaaniyan (feat. Ikka) (2022)
- Teri Meri Kahani (2022)
- Kya Karein (feat. Ankur Tewari) (2022)
- Yaari (2023)
- Dil Karda (feat. Kumaar & Rahul Sathu) (2023)
- Caught Up (2023)
- Caught Up (feat. L.A.X) (2023)
- Sheeshe Ka Dil (feat. OAFF & Savera) (2023)
- Brave Together (2023)
- Cuffed (Jo Tha Mila) (feat. Offset) (2023)
- Jazbaati Hai Dil (with Armaan Malik) (2024)
- 24 (2025)
Film
- Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024)