I first came across Aanvi last year when I was approached by her mother to see if I would mind writing her first ever press release. The reason it was from her mum and not Aanvi herself was because at the time she was just nine years old. Since then, she has released a series of singles, with this being the latest, which will be released on her tenth birthday. She has been successful in different competitions in the last year, is developing her songwriting skills through training with Frances Dickinson from Establish Music and her vocal skills with Sophie Gibson.
While there is no doubt that this is obviously the voice of a child, she has developed considerably in the last year, and when she lifts her voice towards the end there is an obvious confidence which is coming through practice and performing. This is a song about the Ukrainian war, and I get the impression it is designed to be from one child to another, providing hope and the knowledge that people outside the conflict are now aware of what is going on even if they had no knowledge whatsoever of the country before Putin invaded. This is a deep topic for anyone, but it has been dealt with on a good level so that it feels like a ten-year-old and their view of what it is about as opposed to a young person singing words more appropriate for an adult.
Aanvi’s vocals are front and centre, placed against a simple piano, and the result is something which is thoughtful with plenty of space within it. This feels honest and natural, not contrived or over produced. Aanvi has a long way to go to reach her full potential but if she is doing this before she reaches double digits where will she be in the future?
Aanvi S may be Aotearoa’s youngest pop artist. At just 10 years old, the Tamaki Makaurau born singer-songwriter fell in love with songwriting during the first Covid lockdown in March 2020.
Hailing from an Indian family, Aanvi takes inspiration from her rich and colourful culture. She is learning South Indian classic music (Carnatic) from Shalini Muthukumar. Aanvi also plays the piano, the trumpet, and the viola, and is a keen dancer, having learnt ballet, contemporary and hip-hop. Her musical influences include Olivia Rodrigo, Adele and Dua Lipa.
After her poem "Creativity is in you" was recognised in the Potential Plus UK International Poetry competition, in 2020 Aanvi discovered she could use her words to write songs. She was then enrolled at Eliette’s Music Academy, where she had singing lessons with Vesa Luma and Sophie Gibson. In 2020, she was awarded Songwriter of the Year at the academy, and in 2021, her song Music Is My Religion won the Kids Songwriting Competition. That same year, she was named Rockstar of the Year. In 2022, her song Auckland Anthem won Best Junior Song at the HookLineAndSingalong competition. She is currently receiving vocal lessons from Victoria Hollings. She is also set to play the part of Ally in Albany Junior School’s rendition of the famous Mamma Mia! musical.