“Performing for my fans brings me the greatest pleasure” – Anant Hansraj

Born in the USA to Guyanese parents, Anant Hansraj is no stranger to Guyana and the music industry. After his birth some 55 years ago, his parents moved to Guyana, where they spent a few years, before returning to the US when he was six.
Having grown up listening to the melodious voices of his uncle Harry Panday and his grandfather Pandit Kampta Persaud, under stewardship of his family, he started to sing Bollywood, Chutney, and Bhajans at the age of nine.
While he felt those genres are universally loved, his favourite genre is classic Bollywood; and he recorded his first song, titled “On this day”, at the Transcontinental Studios, where NSync and Back Street Boys recorded their songs.
To date, he has recorded countless songs, including five playback tunes featured in Mahadeo Shivraj’s movie “Brown Sugar too bitter for me”. He has also recorded several Bhajan CDs. His latest song, “Mere Meheboob”, has over one million views on YouTube. Some of his most popular songs, he says, are collaborations with Terry Gajraj, D Ring, XBF and Jan Jat.
His career has seen him perform multiple times in Guyana, Trinidad, India, Europe and North America; and one of his most notable performances was singing the American National Anthem for a televised WNBA Game at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. He has also been the opening act for concerts that featured Sean Paul, Kumar Sanu, Anup Jalota and Terry Gajraj. The experience of performing at various locations, he says, has been amazing.
Recalling the first time he performed at Guyana’s Albion Sports Complex in front of thousands of people, he said it started to rain in the midst of that show, but his fans were not deterred from having a grand time. “That was an amazing experience…,” he declared. “Performing for my fans across the globe brings me the greatest pleasure,” he told Guyana Times.
He has been in the entertainment business for a long time, and is convinced that sponsorship plays a major role in producing and marketing new songs. “Our music is filled with positivity while keeping our unique culture and sounds for the next generation. As such, the boost and support (are) necessary for the younger generation,” he says.
He has offered this advice to youths who want to build a career in music: “Practise over and over, recording yourself to see what you should improve. Find a few artistes that you identify with, and emulate the things you admire about them. Get feedback from people. Never give up.”
Apart from making music, he volunteers in charitable work undertaken by the ‘Save Abee’ Foundation established by Terry Gajraj and Sham Tilak. The focus of this foundation is primarily on the conviction that “a child today is the future of tomorrow.”
This well-versed artiste has said he works from Mondays to Thursdays, and from Fridays to Sundays, focusing on making music.
He is happily married to Hema, with whom he has fathered two children – Jared Ganesh, who is tying the knot today, and Ameera.