Candid Communication“Voice, Vision, and Versatility: In Conversation with Anwesha Datta Gupta”

Being a finalist at Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2014 was a life-changing moment. Looking back, what is the one lesson from that stage that you still carry with you?

My takeaway from that particular show was that I appeared for the first time on national television and I got a chance to meet the who’s who of the industry. And for a 13-year-old child it was, it was really huge because seeing in front the people on whose music I grew up on, that was really huge in itself. And obviously when I look back at my career now, at this stage of my life, that seems like a baby step but it was actually a big breakthrough for me because that is how the industry people also got to know about me and my playback career started.

You’ve sung in multiple languages and genres—from soulful Rabindra Sangeet to high-energy Indie-Pop. Which genre feels most like “home” to you?

Every genre feels like home after I get to know it very deeply. Because it is, it is very important to get to the depth and core of every genre. So once I study about it, once I get to know it at its skin, then I think it becomes home for me. And I don’t really bifurcate because everything is music, everything is art. So, it’s good when you don’t bifurcate, then I think it gives you a larger horizon to look at.

We’ve seen you step into the world of acting (e.g., Humsaaz). What prompted this shift, and has acting changed the way you express emotions through your singing?

Acting has definitely helped me in, in you know, improving my body language. Because in playback, we know the audio part of the acting, but when I actually appeared on screen as a character – I’ve been facing camera for so many years, so that is nothing new for me. But otherwise, facing camera not as myself but as a character was very, very different. So, I tried to become that person and internalise the character as much as I could, and tried to make it natural also, because that’s the kind of – that’s the school of acting I personally enjoy watching as, as an audience. So that is when I became an actor, I tried to follow that. And has it changed my approach? Yes, of course, it has changed my approach too, because each feather that gets added to your journey, it gets – it changes the nature of the whole as a personality.

When people think of “Anwesha” ten years from now, what is the one thing you hope they remember most about your contribution to music?

It’s up to people, it’s up to the audiences, if they at all want to remember me or not. And I really want to focus on my journey and my work. And that will decide my recall value as a brand.

We have seen many youngsters coming up and somehow they lose their way in between. But we find you as disciplined, very focused. So, what piece of advice you would like to give to today’s newcomers or youth?

One suggestion I would like to give them is that they should sometimes maybe take a break from technology. Because a lot of good talent also I see, like I have a lot of Gen Z friends also. And although they are just five, six, seven years apart from me, it’s not that it’s a huge generation gap, but it feels like a generation gap because their temperament is so different. Every five minutes they have to open their Instagram and scroll the feed and see something. So, they just can’t live without technology. So sometimes they should actually connect with what’s real, the real world, because there is also a world beyond the mobile phone.

What do you think about AI? Is it harming the industry or is it helpful for the industry?

It’s extremely helpful and it’s also harmful. Both. Because depends on how judiciously we are able to use it. Because there is, I think, I read somewhere something, a quote or something I read recently, that AI will not replace you but a person using AI will definitely replace you. So, it depends how intelligently and judiciously you use it. Because we have created it and we should not push it to a stage where AI starts consuming us. It dictates our choices, just like capitalism does. These are all ideological forces, you know, so you have to be very cautious also because “ek point ke baad trap ho jata hai insaan” (after a point, a person gets trapped). So, don’t let us not fall into that trap of AI, but let’s use it in, because it has incredible, it has opened incredible doors in every field.”

A singer you’d love to do a duet with? And one composition you love to sing again and again?

Um… I have sung with so many singers over, over a period of time. It’s difficult to… because if you ask me that again and again, if I want to sing with somebody, there are so many singers like Shankar Mahadevan and… so I’ll pick Shankar Ji.” Andone composition would love to sing again and again “Lag Jaa Gale.”

What can your fans expect in 2026? Are there any international collaborations or experimental albums on the horizon?

I’ll let it be a surprise

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