Raja Kumari – Pop icon talks success, caste controversy, tracks ‘Peace, ‘NRI’, lockdown and Bollywood dream…(video interview)

Indian American star has bold vision and is an artist to watch!

RAJA KUMARI is one of the pop world’s most exciting emerging global superstars – her crossover sound – western hip-hop and pop stirred with Indian Shakti vibes – both contemporary and classical make her vision unique.

A trained bharatanatyam dancer and graduate of comparative religions give her a grounding few other pop and rap artists could match.

She sings a track on the AR Rahman music score for the recent film, ‘Dil Bechara’ (‘Afreeda’), had a cameo role in the hit rap Bollywood film, ‘Gully Boy’ and is one of the star judges and mentors on MTV’s ‘Hustle’ – India’s first rap-reality show. She has been nominated in MTV’s European Music Awards for Best India Act.

Kumari has also, already, been nominated for a Grammy (2015), co-writing an Iggy Azalea track ‘Change Your Life’, featuring T.I. – her voice is also on the backing vocals and she made her initial breakthrough song writing.

She has also worked with Gwen Stefani, Fifth Harmony, Knife Party and Fall Out Boy – song writing.

Her music videos wrack up millions of views – and her most recent track – ‘Peace’ sounds like a lockdown tune, but was penned in her home in Mumbai/Bombay last year – as she tells www.asianculturevulture.com in this wide-ranging interview, which was conducted last month, just as she also features on a ‘One Love’ track re-imagined by the Marley family (Stephen, Cedella and Skip) from Bob Marley’s original in support of UNICEF.

Her full name is Svetha Yallapragada Rao.