QSC Aspiring Interview: Ananya on releasing sad pop and new single ‘Happy’

Born and raised in landlocked Zimbabwe, Ananya is a pop artist and fashion designer who has relocated to the British Isles. Living in London, she began dropping singles in 2019, three of which have topped Zimbabwean charts. A year on from the release of her debut EP i woke up one night, Ananya brings us her new single Happy. She speaks to Headliner about the mental health-tackling track, using the release to support her Nani Wellness Project which raises money for mental health services in Zimbabwe, and filming its stunning music video in Cape Town.

Ananya’s personal take on pop music incorporates a variety of elements: some of the highs of dance and EDM music, and the grounded sounds of guitar instrumentation, all with a pop production sheen. It’s pretty hard to resist, and all sounds very accomplished from someone who only released her first single in 2019. She cites Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Joni Mitchell as some of her biggest influences, and they shine through musically.

She’s speaking to Headliner from home in North London, where she lives with her sausage dog. “I think growing up in Zimbabwe played a huge role in my passion for creating and my passion for music,” she says when asked about getting into music as a young person. 

“A lot of our time was spent outdoors, so we had to find ways to be entertained besides that. My mum had this huge cabinet of all these different CDs and tapes, which me and my siblings would always be messing around with. I then realised how special it felt to be transformed into a different feeling when listening to music. So eventually I got a guitar, and I started playing.”

Ananya studied fashion and creative entrepreneurship in both New York and London, and says fashion and music for her go “hand in hand.” Ananya says that releasing her first single, Aftertaste, in 2019 was a natural and organic thing for her.

“I was still in uni, so I just jumped right in,” she says. “I produced Aftertaste on my own, which is why I cannot listen to it still! It just felt very natural, because it’s something I’d been doing on the side, for fun and for my own benefit. So it just felt easy.”

Late 2023 saw Ananya dropping a seven-track EP, i woke up one night, something of a feat considering most new, independent artists tend to focus on putting out lots of singles, or a four-track extended play at most. Bucking that trend, Ananya has included some of her strongest tracks on the release, including the anthemic moon, one of her personal favourites in acoustic ballad october, and the Swift-esque opener bad for you.

“It was a really special experience making that EP because of the people I collaborated with,” Ananya says. “This is something you learn very early on in your career as a musician and an independent musician: how important collaboration is. When I was in uni, I wrote and produced everything on my own, but as time went on, I realised the key to everything is collaboration. So it was a really special and eye-opening experience.

“Knowing that anyone relates to something I’ve put out is the most inspiring and motivating thing because that’s what music’s been for me all my life. It resonates with what I said earlier about focusing on small challenges instead of the end goal. Looking back on one year, you feel appreciative and grateful, because during it, it just feels like everything is a mess and there’s so much chaos going on.”

Almost marking the one year anniversary of her debut EP is her latest single, Happy. Being outspoken about the topic of mental health is of great importance for Ananya and one of the traits that makes her so authentic. It’s a breezy piece of pop, refreshing in that the music doesn’t necessarily have to be oppressive and heavy when tackling this subject matter. It has some stunning acoustic and electric guitar instrumentation while Ananya’s voice soars. The voice-memo-style production on the hummed outro is a gorgeous touch.

When asked if writing about a tough period was challenging, or just a cathartic experience, she says, “I think it’s a little bit of both. The beginning of writing such a personal song is always a tiny bit intimidating, but then a lot of it just feels like a journal entry. Journal entries are always healing for me, so songwriting is too. In the end, it turns into something beautiful. It’s incredible to look back at a song and feel so far ahead from that feeling. It helped you get to a place where you no longer feel pain when addressing it. So, in the end, it turns out to be beautiful.

“The lyrics are about healing and being happy for someone else’s happiness, but questioning whether both of you are truly happy. Is it just a mask, and when the curtain falls, are you both dealing with your own stuff? It’s more about surface happiness and addressing that as part of the healing process. Sometimes it’s easier to address your emotions head-on and be okay with healing and not being okay for a second, instead of always shielding those feelings.”

Perhaps most beautifully of all, the track is raising money for Ananya’s own non-profit, The Nani Wellness Project, with a mission statement of helping mental health services, professionals, and initiatives in Zimbabwe. The website states: “With public spending on mental health being roughly $0.13 per capita each year here in Zimbabwe, our goal is to make help accessible. We make mental health care available for free through our mobile app, nani. The app connects Zimbabweans to mental health professionals.”

“The Nani Wellness Project is free virtual therapy for Zimbabweans,” Ananya says. “During the pandemic, my friend Tony and I realised we had no one to talk to because everything had shut down. We found ourselves talking about everything with each other. Looking around us, we realised that mental health in Zimbabwe is very taboo and not something that’s addressed. So we realised there was a need to provide that help. And then the Nani Wellness Project was born.”

The song shines very brightly in its accompanying music video, filmed in the beautiful mountain and beach scenery of Cape Town, South Africa. We see Ananya driving a “Pontiac Parisienne, if I’m not mistaken,” she says – the car coupled with her outfit gives the video a fantastic 1950s feeling.

“Most of the EP was recorded in Cape Town, a place close to home where I’ve always enjoyed visiting and recording music. I decided to return to Cape Town and work with local creatives to make the Happy video. It visually explains the song’s meaning to me. It’s like driving endlessly, not really getting anywhere, which mirrors the healing process. You eventually get there, but often it feels like you’re just driving aimlessly. They sent a couple of car options, and I loved the green Pontiac Parisienne. It was scary to drive that car. They actually had to cut one of the scenes because I was driving too slowly!”

In terms of keeping her mental state healthy besides creativity and songwriting, Ananya shares some of the things that, topically, keep her happy.

“I enjoy meditating. I’m really grateful for my little sausage dog who has helped me get outside more. Sometimes you don’t even realise that you just need a walk. Something that stands out to me lately, especially because it’s cold outside, is physical exercise. Often I’ll be frustrated, angry, or sad, and then I’ll do some physical exercise and feel better. A little bit of everything helps. A good cup of tea always makes you feel better.”

When asked what the phrase Play Out Loud means to her, Ananya says, “I would say that play out loud means self-expression, which I'm forever grateful for. The ability to express myself. And self-expression for me, is when I feel so strongly about something that I turn it into art, whether that's fashion or music.”

No surprise then, that this consummate creative has plenty more music on the way in 2025. As Ananya shares the things she’s grateful for, let us also be grateful to be invited along on her healing and creative journey.