Aneela Mirza Interview

What got you into singing and songwriting?

I always loved music, always loved stories, and I have always been very expressive about my feelings, and for me singing and songwriting is the perfect outlet for all my favorite things combined. :)

For someone who has never heard of Toy-Box, how would you describe the group?

I would describe Toybox as a box full of adventure; interesting themes, lively fairytale universes, and a lot of childlike fun and happiness. We don't really care about images, trends or other peoples ideas about what is cool or in. We simply do what feels right to us, write what ever comes to mind, and dive into our own crazy fantasy world. :)

What do you enjoy most about being involved in a bubblegum group?

Ohhhh dear, so many things... I absolutely love the way bubblegum music allows us to play different roles, experiment with so many different elements with a child like innocence... I believe that even GaGa is inspired by the crazy universe of bubblegum music. We are just crazy and free in ways other genres cannot be.

Is there a story behind the name "Toy-Box"?

There is no specific story behind the name, apart from the fact that we wanted a name that would describe our universe and our music to the fullest. Infact we almost were called something else... we came very close to the other name, which I kinda disliked extremely lolz... but Toybox had a ring to it that I loved. And we are definitely a box full of loads of surprises from the Toy universe ;)

What is your favorite Toy-Box song?

Ohhh that is a interesting question. I have several favorites. But to name a few "Best friend", "devided", "Sailorsong" and "ET."

Do you have a least favorite song?

Do you mean a song by Toybox or just any song? My least favorite Toybox song is "Sayonara" not because it's a bad song, but because of the circumstances in which I wrote it.

What is your best memory with Toy-Box?

I have a million best memories with Toybox from all over the world. But I guess the best one is that Toybox became the reason I got to travel the world, meet loads of fantastic people... Both my good and bad choices during my first couple of years as a part of a very successful international act taught me alot about myself... about gratitude, and about appreciating the blessings while you have them in your life.

Who are your favorite bubblegum artists? (apart from Toy-Box of course! ;))

I like the early Aqua material from their first album, despite the media propaganda I actually think they are a cute act, and Rene recently won me over even more when he treated me to a good ol Shawarma at our favorite Shawarma joint in Copenhagen ha ha. Besides them I really like Cartoons... We performed together on Tenerife at the world dance festival, and they were amazing :)

If you could have dinner with one anyone in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

Ohhh I would love to have Dinner with Vin Diesel, because he is the most adorable man lol...

What is your favorite song to dance to?

At the moment I'm dancing to the new Toybox song... You will have to wait a liiiil bit for that one I'm afraid... lol but hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

Bubblegum dance music has a huge focus in Scandinavia. Why do you think this is?

Well according to a survey Danes are the happiest people in the world. Maybe that has something to do with it lolz... I mean if music is a representation of us as a nation I find it very fitting. Danes like to party, and kindda go with the flow, and not take themselves too seriously. I guess Scandinavia is quit similar in that way. Maybe that's a reason :)

What was it like working with Golden Child and Honeycutt? Would you work with them again?

It was such a brilliant learning experience for us to work with talented people like them. Golden child in particular is for me the biggest mentor I had in the world of creating bubblegum hits. He taught me so much about writing, composing etc. We were so lucky to work with the best of the best from the very beginning.

Have you written music for or sang for any other bubblegum projects?

I am writing for my new act, which is very hush hush, but I guess not that hush since I've mentioned it here lolz. Apart from that I have done other bubblegum tracks and even a ghost feature on a project... You will have to guess which one yourself... my lips are sealed... My voice is quite special lol so it was hard to conceal completely.

What can fans expect for Toy-Box 2012?

I think our dear friends and fans can expect a lot of fun, and many many surprises... That's all I can reveal at this point ;)

Will there be a change in sound or style?

There is a bit of change in sound... but there is NO DOUBT that is is Toybox all the way.

Can you reveal any new song titles or topics?

I'm sorry! LOL we dont want to spoil the surprise...

What producers will you be working with this year?

Our team is almost finalized, but we are keeping everything quite hush hush at the moment... lol Soooweeyy.

What are some of your biggest inspirations?

My biggest inspiration is the music industry is as always Michael Jackson and Madonna... The biggest ENTERTAINERS I have had the pleasure of seeing and being inspired by. I think for an artist it is vital to reinvent onself, to evolve, and to work hard at everything, always. I think both Michael jackson and Madonna is a perfect example of all these things.

And lastly... what is your favorite candy? :)

My favorite candy... lol ohhhh I have such a sweet tooth... I like almost EVERYTHING ... I love love love Ice cream... it's not really candy, I know :)