Singing her way to national glory

Talented singer Atiya Anisha became a household name in the Bangladeshi film and music industry with her crowd-favorite playback singles like "Cholo Niralay" from the movie "Poran", "Jadur Ayna" from the web-film "Antonagar", and more. Recently, she received the Best Singer Award in the female category for the song "Ei Shohorer Pothe Pothe" from the movie "Payer Chhaap", at the Bangladesh National Film Awards. The talented songstress dropped by The Daily Star for a chat. 

As a singer, you received the most prestigious award in the country for 'Payer Chhaap'. How does it feel?

It's the biggest achievement of my career. People are seeing me in a different light – as a nationally acclaimed singer. Also, I now have to fulfill even bigger expectations, and I feel this is working as motivation for me to do something bigger.

Tell us about your journey.

I have been practicing music from a very young age, but my professional musical career began in 2017 with the show "Channel i Shera Kantho". I sang the folk song "Behaya Mon" on the platform, and it received massive applause from the audience and judges alike. That is my first 'hit' cover. After that, I got the opportunity to sing "Chup Kotha" in Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raz's directorial film "Jodi Ekdin", in 2019. I never had to look back since then.

This year, you have been awarded three prestigious awards in Bangladesh. What's your take on that?

Obviously, I am filled with joy that I got the three most prestigious awards in Bangladesh this year; the Bangladesh National Film Award, Channel i Music Award, and the Meril-Prothom Alo Award. I will surely consider this year as a great one.

Tell us about your influences.

I love listening to Runa Laila, Samina Chowdhury, Mitali Mukherjee, Sabina Yasmin and all the other Bangladeshi legends because I began by learning their songs when I started. Samina Ma'am's "Amar Dui Chokhe Dui Nodi" is the first song that I learned.

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Do you only want to be a playback singer or do you want to explore other genres?

Since I started my career with playback singing, it has a special place in my heart. Playback singing is an experimental teamwork, and I love it. However, I will surely explore other genres as well. I am also interested in acting.

What do you consider to be your biggest challenge right now?

Well, now that I have received the National Film Award pretty early in my career, it has created a certain responsibility on my part to excel at every song that I sing. So that's equally a blessing and a challenge.