Guwahati-origin singer Anuja Barua began releasing Hinglish songs in 2020
Chicago-based Indian pop artist Anza aka Anuja Barua. Photo: Chris Crimson Photography
Although Chicago-based pop artist Anza aka Anuja Barua has often made empowerment and independence the central theme of previous singles, she puts forward a perspective of lovestruck and bewildered on her latest release “Wild For You.”
In the video directed by music and video producer Luan Seguim – based on a concept and script fleshed out by Anza and Nick Faust – the singer is seen to be abducted by people wearing animal suits who then go on to dance around, even as she tries to escape them. The track, produced by Florida’s Preppy Beats and mixed and mastered by Bengaluru-bred, Los Angeles-based Navneet Rao, traverses Hinglish R&B/pop that combines Anza’s love for Beyonce as well as Bollywood.
Anza says that part of the decision to sing in two languages at once was born out of realizing the wide understanding of Hindi music in the U.S. “People here especially have a very different perspective about Hindi music which is [Punjabi singer] Daler Mehndi meets [Bollywood family drama] Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. I wanted to take a different spin on it and deliver it like pop music they can relate to,” she adds.
One of the intriguing techniques on “Wild For You” is the singer’s varying cadence, almost changing voices throughout. Anza may not have yet perfected it as such, but she definitely puts it forward with gusto. The singer says she took inspiration from rap artists and their delivery. “I also wanted to play around with tone and pitches to keep the listener hooked and interested. Every 10 additional seconds they listen to my track is a blessing for me,” Anza says.
There’s also a party remix version of “Wild For You” coming up with an unnamed Indian producer, plus more collaborations. “To me, that’s fun as an artist to fuse my style with someone else’s. Overall from a release standpoint, I have plans for at least three more releases this year including some I have produced,” Anza says. Additionally, there’s a trip back home to Guwahati being planned for the end of 2021. She adds, “I am super excited about [it] because I cannot wait to connect with some local artists there.”
Watch the video for “Wild For You” below. Stream the song on Spotify, Apple Music and JioSaavn.
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