Anjana
Padmanabhan
interview:
From
winning
Indian
Idol
Junior
as
a
child
to
making
waves
in
Indian
Idol
14,
she
has
showcased
her
musical
magic
on
the
singing
platforms,
wooing
the
audience.
At
Filmibeat,
we
love
interacting
with
artists
who
create
ripples
with
their
talent
and
performance.
And
as
we
talked
to
Anjana,
we
realised
she
is
definitely
a
bundle
of
talents
In
an
exclusive
conversation
with
Filmibeat
Chief
Copy
Editor
Abhishek
Ranjit,
Anjana
revealed
her
biggest
inspiration
and
shared
her
dream
collaboration
with
a
musical
legend.
Is
she
willing
to
become
a
judge
on
Indian
Idol
like
Neha
Kakkar?
Her
answer
is
definitely
worth
reading.
Here
are
excerpts
from
the
interview-
1)
From
making
waves
at
Indian
Idol
to
getting
ready
to
rock
the
stage
at
New
York’s
Times
Square,
how
would
you
describe
your
journey?
Answer:
The
journey
has
truly
been
one
of
the
most
wonderful
experiences
of
my
life,
and
I
wouldn’t
want
it
any
other
way.
There’s
so
much
I’ve
learned
throughout
this
entire
journey.
From
the
time
I
won
Indian
Idol
as
a
kid,
to
participating
in
Indian
Idol
again
now,
and
finally
performing
at
Times
Square
every
step
has
taught
me
something
new.
I’ve
had
incredible
opportunities,
met
so
many
amazing
people,
and
I’m
deeply
grateful
for
every
single
moment.
Back
when
I
was
a
kid
on
Indian
Idol,
I
never
imagined
that
one
day
I’d
be
standing
on
a
stage
like
Times
Square.
Performing
there
was
beyond
anything
I
could
have
ever
dreamed
of,
truly
unimaginable
and
absolutely
amazing.
This
journey
has
been
very,
very
special
to
me.
I’m
so
excited
for
this
performance,
and
I
really
hope
everyone
enjoys
it
and
has
a
great
time.
2)
Who
has
been
your
dream
collaboration?
Any
upcoming
projects
you’d
like
to
talk
about?
Answer:
When
it
comes
to
dream
collaborations,
there
are
actually
quite
a
few
artists
I’ve
always
wanted
to
work
with.
In
India,
it
has
always
been
a
dream
of
mine
to
sing
for
legends
like
AR
Rahman
Sir
and
Anirudh
Ravichander.
Getting
the
opportunity
to
work
with
them
would
truly
be
a
dream
come
true.
Apart
from
that,
as
an
independent
artist,
I’ve
always
wanted
to
collaborate
with
artists
from
the
West
who
I
have
looked
up
to
for
a
long
time.
There’s
so
much
amazing
music
coming
out
of
the
West
in
America.
If
I
had
to
name
one
dream
collaboration,
it
would
definitely
be
Ed
Sheeran.
I
would
love
to
do
a
song
with
him
someday.
As
for
upcoming
projects,
there
are
some
really
exciting
things
happening
this
year,
and
I’m
honestly
so
thrilled
about
it.
I’ve
been
working
extremely
hard
for
years
to
build
this
story
and
bring
it
to
life,
and
now
it’s
finally
coming
together.
There
are
a
couple
of
film
songs
I’ve
sung
that
are
set
to
release
soon,
along
with
some
of
my
independent
tracks.
I
also
have
a
very
special
EP
of
my
own
on
the
way.
I
can’t
reveal
too
many
details
just
yet,
but
there’s
a
lot
to
look
forward
to
and
you’ll
all
know
very
soon.
3)
You
won
Indian
Idol
Junior
and
later
participated
in
Indian
Idol
14.
Do
you
see
yourself
as
a
judge
on
the
show
someday,
like
Neha
Kakkar?
Answer:
I
would
genuinely
love
to
be
a
judge
on
the
show.
For
me,
both
seasons
of
Indian
Idol
Junior
and
Indian
Idol
14
had
Shreya
Mam
as
a
judge,
and
she’s
always
been
such
a
huge
part
of
my
journey.
Every
time
I
see
her,
there’s
this
special
aura
around
her.
What
she’s
created,
and
the
kind
of
person
she
is,
is
truly
beyond
words.
She’s
honestly
one
of
the
sweetest
people
I’ve
ever
met.
Every
time
I’ve
interacted
with
her,
whether
on
the
show
or
outside,
it’s
been
phenomenal.
The
experience
always
leaves
me
in
awe.
It’s
a
feeling
I
never
quite
get
out
of.
I
haven’t
really
thought
too
much
about
being
a
judge
on
Indian
Idol
as
such,
but
if
I
ever
got
the
opportunity,
I’d
love
to
go
back
to
where
it
all
began.
For
me,
Indian
Idol
has
always
been
home.
Whoever
I
am
today
and
whatever
I’ve
achieved
is
because
of
that
platform.
So
yes,
if
the
opportunity
came,
I’d
love
to
do
it,
though
honestly,
I
haven’t
given
it
deep
thought
yet.
4)
Who
has
been
your
biggest
inspiration?
Answer:
When
it
comes
to
inspiration,
it’s
something
that
has
really
evolved
over
time.
There
have
been
so
many
people
who’ve
inspired
me
at
different
points
in
my
life.
Some
constant
sources
of
inspiration
have
been
Asha
ji,
Shreya
Mam,
Lata
ji,
and
Sunidhi
Mam.
These
legends
will
always
remain
my
inspirations.
They
are
the
reason
I
started
singing
as
a
child.
Honestly,
the
reason
I
even
began
listening
to
music
was
because
of
them.
Beyond
Indian
artists,
I’ve
also
drawn
a
lot
of
inspiration
from
international
musicians
like
Whitney
Houston,
Adele,
and
Alicia
Keys.
Their
music
has
moved
me
deeply
at
different
stages
of
my
journey,
and
they’ve
played
a
huge
role
in
shaping
my
artistic
sensibilities
as
well.
So
for
me,
it’s
really
a
balance
of
two
worlds,
being
inspired
by
incredible
music
created
by
artists
both
in
India
and
across
the
globe.
5)
We’re
excited
about
your
jugalbandi
with
Indian
Idol
13
winner
Rishi
Singh!
What
can
we
expect
from
that
performance?
Answer:
About
the
entire
duet
performance
with
Rishi.
Rishi
and
I
are
actually
very
good
friends;
it’s
more
like
two
friends
getting
on
stage
and
having
a
great
time
performing
together.
I’m
super
excited
about
it.
You’ll
get
to
hear
a
lot
of
the
songs
that
both
of
us
have
performed
on
our
respective
seasons
of
Indian
Idol
and
the
kind
of
music
we’re
known
for.
Along
with
that,
we’re
also
doing
some
really
fun
mashups
and
medleys
together.
But
what’s
even
more
exciting
is
that
we’re
going
to
perform
our
own
original
song,
a
collaboration
between
the
two
of
us,
live
at
Times
Square.
It’s
the
first
time
we’ll
be
performing
it,
and
it
hasn’t
been
released
anywhere
yet.
So
the
audience
there
will
get
to
experience
it
for
the
very
first
time.
After
that,
we’ll
be
releasing
the
track
across
all
platforms
for
everyone
to
hear.
It’s
our
first
original
collaboration,
and
we’re
both
really
excited
about
this
song.