Anwesshaa started her career in music when she was a child. After participating in a popular national music reality show, she became even busier with her musical career. With time, she diversified in her professional career. Apart from being a prolific singer, Anwesshaa pivoted towards being a composer and lyricist as well. While she has won countless awards for her contribution to music till date, every recognition holds a special place in her heart. Recently, Anwesshaa was awarded the Mirchi Music Award Bangla 2024 for the Best Female Vocalist in the non-film category for the devotional song ‘Sharodiya Sur’.
Sharing her sense of elation, Anwesshaa says, “This is my third Mirchi Music Award. I first received one for my first Tamil song. The second one was for the Bangla song ‘Bojhena Se Bhojhena’. Getting a physical award is a very important recognition for an artist. It also puts in a sense of responsibility on your shoulders to do better and prove yourself to be worthy of receiving such an award in the future as well. It gives me the motivation to create a body of work that would inspire generations to come.”
‘Sharodiya Sur’ is a devotional song dedicated to Maa Durga which has been composed by Ashoke Bhadra, written by Priyo Chattopadhyay, and arranged by Rupak Tiary. The song has been released by Pronam Bangla, a devotional music label created by Times Music for releasing devotional songs in Bengali.
Talking about the importance of a non-film getting an award, Anwesshaa states, “I feel happy about the fact that I have received this award for a non-film song. While the number of non-film songs releasing in India is growing, they continue to struggle to get enough attention and the kind of recognition they deserve. When a non-film song receives a major award, more people get to know about it and discover it. It’s good to see labels like Times Music releasing such songs. If mainstream labels do not promote such genres, they will not reach out to a large number of people.”
West Bengal has had a long-standing culture of songs being made and dedicated to deities. Almost every popular singer from the state has lent their voice to these devotional songs. Such songs are not just made during certain festivals but throughout the year. The relevance of such songs has only grown with time.
“As a child, I started taking music lessons in Lalit Kala Academy in Kolkata. While the focus in the academy was on Indian classical music, guruji has created a very flexible music culture. During puja, we would be taught such songs. Guruji had composed several devotional songs on Kali Maa and Durga Maa. I remember singing some of them. Recording such songs, therefore, makes me feel nostalgic. ‘Sharodiya Sur’ is an aagomoni gaan, a song which calls upon Maa Durga. This was the first time I got to sing an original aagomoni gaan. Therefore, it would always be very special to me”, says Anwesshaa.