Shilpa has a distinct musical style that combines Western and Indian elements. So far, her career in music has been fulfilling, and she hopes to continue working towards it.

Shilpa Ananth is a singer, songwriter, music performer, and educator. She is from Kerala but grew up in Dubai as her family shifted there. After completing high school, Shilpa did her college education in Bangalore and took a degree in media communication and psychology.

By the time Shilpa completed her college education, she was already participating in music festivals and competitions. She says music has been in her blood from an early age. Growing up in a traditional South Indian family, she learned Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam. Gradually, she became inclined toward western music. She started competing in western music competitions.

Shilpa says that she wanted to go deeper into music and join A.R. Rahman’s music school. Then she learned about Berklee College of Music from Houston coming to India for auditions in Mumbai and Delhi. She applied for the audition on a whim. Luckily, she was accepted and also got a scholarship.

Shilpa shares that she had to convince her family that she was serious about a music career and that it was not just a hobby. In 2011, she moved to the US to learn music at the iconic Berklee College of Music, from which she graduated. She had a great time there, made good friendships, and developed connections. She has been living in New York City for the last six years.

Shilpa says that she gradually grew bigger in the music field. She had a chance to release her first album and also participate in a performance with the great A.R. Rahman. She started working with different groups. She worked with a Serbian music group called Rossa and another US group. She gave many live performances. Before the pandemic, her life was going full throttle. She was touring around India at that time, working on music videos, and had a lot happening in her life.

Shilpa says it is always a different feeling performing at home before an Indian audience. She feels more connected with the audience. She felt she should come to India and perform here every six months. Just before the lockdown, she went to Dubai to spend some time with her parents and got stuck there. For over a year, she has been in Dubai. Initially, she felt everything falling apart. She was scared that her career would end now. Then she started teaching music, which boosted her morale.

Talking about her struggles, Shilpa says she had to face many weird and strange incidents early on in her career. Once, in the US, her booking agent cut down on her performance time just because a smaller number of people had come to see her show. But gradually, she learned how to handle such incidents. She believes adversity makes you stronger. Struggle gives you value and teaches you who you are, says Shilpa.

Shilpa firmly believes in education, as she thinks it helps you understand your capabilities. However, she also advocates the virtues of experience.

Sharing about her experiences in the times of COVID, Shilpa says that the pandemic was actually a blessing for her, as she received two grants awarded by two US institutions for further learning. She considered it a huge blessing. She also won a competition organised by a music blog, Blue Rhymes, as the best independent artist. She was also among the group of singers who were part of a jazz album that was nominated for the Grammys. All this has given her hope that she can continue dreaming and try to put her dreams into action. She takes it as a sign that she is on the right path.

Shilpa’s inspiration in life and the beacon that has shown her the path is A.R. Rahman, who has helped her find a space for herself in the music field. She has also drawn inspiration from many other western music stars. She says you have to go through the journey to achieve success; it cannot be instant gratification.

Shilpa is gradually developing her leadership style. She places stress on discipline in her music bands.

If given a chance to travel back in time, Shilpa would not change anything, as she considers every setback an experience. She would, however, like to have believed in herself more than she actually did. Shilpa thinks patience is the name of the game. She says she had never imagined that she would come this far in life.

In her free time, Shilpa does yoga and meditation. She also goes for walks or runs. She loves cooking as a way to relax. She also reads and watches TV shows.