Aisha has trained in Carnatic vocals and mridangam (ETV Bharat)
There is a moment in almost every musician’s life when they realise they have a choice. They can keep writing songs they think people will like, or they can write the songs they actually need to write. It sounds like an easy decision until you remember that the second option involves telling strangers what goes on inside your head. That’s terrifying. It’s much easier to hide behind clever lyrics, glitzy sound production or a catchy chorus than admit you’ve spent half your life arguing with yourself.
When we speak to singer-songwriter Aisha Ali Chopra over Zoom, it becomes obvious that Do It Anyway, her new single releasing on July 1, isn’t simply another song after a long gap. It’s the sound of someone finally deciding that honesty is worth the risk.
Being Authentic
“I was under the impression that my songs should not be too personal,” she says with a laugh that suggests she’s already made peace with being wrong. “But if it doesn’t resonate with your core, it’s not worth it. I didn’t think about what everyone else was going to say.”
That explains why nearly nine years have passed since Naaz, her debut album, introduced listeners to a young artist who had already lived several musical lives. Born in Andhra Pradesh, raised in Bengaluru, trained in Carnatic vocals and mridangam, Aisha sang jingles, worked as a karaoke jockey, collaborated with local hip-hop artists, became a certified music therapist and even impressed judges like Fergie, Diane Warren and Natasha Bedingfield during the Avon Voices international talent competition. The résumé was always impressive. The confidence to reveal herself took a little longer, which is why Do It Anyway feels less like a comeback and more like an introduction.
One of the first things you notice about the single is its sound. Gone is the acoustic, folk-inspired palette that shaped much of Naaz. In its place is a smooth blend of R&B, hip-hop grooves, lush vocal harmonies, gritty guitars and percussion that feels both, laid-back and determined. For Aisha, this wasn’t a stylistic experiment. It was simply the music she’d been carrying around for years.
“When I did the first album, I was heavily influenced by acoustic and folk music. It was more about the songwriting,” says the I-pop artist. “Beyoncé’s Lemonade is my biggest inspiration right now. It felt more authentic to me. I listen to trip-hop, R&B… Rihanna, SZA, Kehlani and Pharrell. Lately I’ve also been listening to a lot of Joss Stone. I’m fascinated by the lilt in her singing.”
The influence is about permission to make music that sits comfortably between genres instead of apologising for refusing to belong to one. She gives a shoutout to Yash from Audiocraft Studios in Bengaluru who’s the production engineer on the track. “He’s great to work with,” she says.
Do It Anyway is built around a remarkably ordinary battle. Not heartbreak nor world-changing ambition. Just the exhausting conversation that happens inside your own mind. One lyric in particular captures the song’s heart: “Go up, go down / While my thoughts run inside out / Gotta back it up, do it till I’m bleeding.” Aisha explains, “Whatever your circumstances are, if you’re not going to back yourself up, then nobody is.” It’s the sort of lyric that doesn’t pretend confidence comes naturally. Confidence is something you practise.
Can Music Heal?
Perhaps because she’s also a certified music therapist, Aisha speaks about music differently from many performers. She doesn’t see songs merely as entertainment. “Music can definitely heal,” she says. “If you’re feeling low and listen to a sad song, sometimes you relate to it. At other times you need something groovy that makes you move. Music meets you where you are.”
It’s a lovely thought. Sometimes healing isn’t about feeling better immediately but just discovering that somebody else has already put your emotions into a melody.
Aisha was born in Andhra Pradesh and raised in Bengaluru (Courtesy the artiste)
When she’s not writing music, Aisha sketches with black ink on paper. She writes poetry. She works out because it makes her feel stronger. All of these hobbies eventually find their way back into songwriting. “When I’m writing songs,” she says, “I usually come up with the beat first, but sometimes everything arrives together.” Like many songwriters, she seems to spend her life collecting fragments that might become lyrics later.
Dream Collaborators
Ask her who she’d most like to work with, and the answer comes instantly: “Beyoncé!” Not simply because she’s one of the world’s biggest stars, but because Aisha admires the complete artistic vision. “How she picks producers, the choreography in her live shows, the visuals, the attention to lyrics…” she trails off. It’s a reminder that great artists rarely admire only the music. They admire the thinking behind it.
She’s already looking beyond Do It Anyway. Her next singles promise to be her most experimental work yet. Either way, Aisha seems to have discovered something far more valuable than a new musical style. She’s found her own voice. Once that happens, the hardest part is over.
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- Born Into Jazz, Built By Rhythm: A World Music Day Conversation With Drummer Gino Banks, Who Grew Up In India’s First Family Of Fusion
- ‘Safe Ideas Don’t Make History’: Bombay Bandook On Ragas, Rock Music And Refusing to Fit In
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.etvbharat.com ’
