‘My mission is world domination!' says Raja Kumari, who is cracking the Indian music market

by ASJAD NAZIR.

RAJA KUMARI TALKS MUSIC AND CRACKING THE INDIAN MARKET.

AMERICAN RAPPER RAJA KUMARI EYES GLOBAL SUCCESS AFTER MAKING HER MARK IN INDIA.

DYNAMITE diva Raja Kumari has blown up the music industry with an explosive array of hits and incendiary collaborations.

The American artist has made a huge name for herself in India and is continuing her impressive rise with songs that are making everyone look at commercial hip-hop in a brand new way. The rap star’s recent single I Did It is perhaps a reflection of the amazing mark she has made on her own terms.

Eastern Eye caught up with Raja Kumari to talk about music, her single, how to believe

in yourself, future plans and more...

What first connected you to music?

Music and dance go hand in hand. As a child I studied Indian classical dance, so was lucky to tour with an awesome orchestra. I just got to have such a special relationship with classical music. So music has always been a part of my life.

How do you look back on your journey?

I look back on my journey as a lot of hard work and manifestation. I had this dream sitting in Los Angeles that I would make this fusion music and go back to India, and make people love their roots and where they came from.

Everyday I’m humbled by the impact the music has had, and by fans who send me those

messages and when I see their dance videos. When I look back, I’m just proud of the hard

work myself and my family have put in.

Which of the great collaborations have you most enjoyed?

Without a doubt, I’ve most enjoyed my collaboration with Divine. It was at an early stage

in releasing my music. City Slums was such a huge record in India and really made people

know me. It was the first time I got to perform on stage and have people singing the lyrics

back to the songs. So that’s been the most fruitful and exciting collaboration so far.

Which of your great songs is closest to your heart?

There are songs I’ve written for other artists and ones I’ve written for myself. I think the

song closest to my heart is Meera. I wrote that about my relationship with dance, music

and art, and how your frequency is in sync with the universe.

Being able to say lyrics like that was a dream of mine. I didn’t want to be pushed into a box where the content had to just be about partying, liking a boy or whatever it is. I think Meera really accomplished something and made me really proud.

Where do you draw your musical inspirations from today?

The world around me! I definitely listen to a lot of UK music. I’ve also been listening to a lot of dancehall and reggae. I’ve been watching people dance when I go out and see

that certain songs move them, so have been really inspired by that lately.

What led you towards your latest single I Did It?

I Did It was a record born out of my real life. I had been working with people that maybe weren’t believing in me in the way I thought they should or maybe were holding me back.

Now I’m lucky to say that my team is really strong and helping me through everything.

But at that time, I felt I had to pull through and that really inspired me to write the lyrics: ‘I did it by myself’. Just to remind myself I have the innergoddess and have inner-strength to accomplish anything I put my mind to.

Who are you hoping connects with it?

I really hope it connects with everyone! As artists we make music for the world. This song is really just an anthem for those who want to have self-confidence and to just remember that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

I Did It is very empowering. Where do you find your inner-power?

My inner-strength is really rooted in my art. Any time I feel down, want to quit or have these negative emotions like any other human being, I just remember that music is greater

than me. I remember the look on little girl’s faces when they see me on stage and what that would have meant to me as a child. I didn’t see anyone like myself on stage, so that

just pushes me.

I also find inner-strength through meditation; even just a couple minutes a day really helps me keep myself centred and focused on the task at hand. That task is world domination!

What advice would you give those who don’t believe in themselves yet?

You only have yourself. You only got one body! It’s important that you learn to love yourself, be kind to yourself and allow yourself to grow. Know that everything comes

in seasons.

I think if you believe in yourself anything can happen. If you have self-doubt, those things will also happen, so your mind is a very powerful tool. You should set your intentions on manifesting what you truly want and not your fears.

When did you feel like: ‘I did it’ in your musical journey?

I’m constantly pushing myself to go further. I don’t know if I’m ever satisfied with where I am, but there have been moments where I had to stop, look back and realise that before I released The Come Up in 2016 I didn’t have any music out.

Now I’m touring the world because of my music. There are so many places that I know it’ll take me further. When I got to headline my first festival in India, it really felt like I’d accomplished something. I hope to headline festivals all over the world, including the UK and continue to grow as an artist.

You always inject artistry into commercial songs; is that a conscious decision?

Of course! As a songwriter I’ve written a lot of songs for a lot of different people, but I believe when it comes to my music there’s no point unless it’s artistic or speaks about my artistry. I put the culture first with honesty and authenticity. It’s always a conscious decision to inject my artistry into my music.

How much does it mean to you that you have made such a big mark in India?

It actually means everything. I always knew in my heart I would never be able to take my music to a global platform until I had the support of my people. I’ve always had a

very close attachment to India, even though I was born in Los Angeles. I have family in India and would go home every summer. I toured India with my dance and was just so in love with everything about the culture. But more importantly, I have a belonging. To have

people love, respect and support me from India really gives me the strength to face the world. To take this music everywhere and be proud of where I come from, because my people are proud of me.

What is the hip-hop talent in India like and who should we look out for?

Hip-hop in India is growing at an exponential rate and I think it will become the most popular genre in India soon. If you know anything about hip-hop in India, you know about Durban.

If you’re looking for other really amazing talents coming out of India, I think the greatest exports we have are Divine and Nuclear. Nuclear is a DJ, but he blends sounds of the street and the people. I think it just speaks the heartbeat of India. They’re both the artists that you should look out for.

What is the masterplan going forward?

World domination! But also visibility and having representation in the sector we never had before. I want to see and hear Indian culture on the US mainstream, whether that is in a sample in the back of a song, me singing in an Indian language, or just Indian-influenced sounds, like my forthcoming EP has.

I just really have a dream to hear it on the radio in America. I would love to land in the UK and turn on the radio and hear myself. The BBC Asian Network has been so supportive and I honestly feel like the UK is so lucky. They have a platform like that for South Asian artists. I hope my music helps bring something like that into the US.

What is your greatest unfulfilled ambition?

I don’t know if anything is unfulfilled. Everyday I’m just thankful to be making music and to be an artist. I’m thankful that I get to create and don’t have to do something I don’t want to. I don’t have to work at a job I don’t care about. Everyday I get to be happy. An unfulfilled ambition is to play Coachella, but I think that it will come. I just want to tour my music globally.

What music currently dominates your own personal playlist?

Right now, I’m researching the greats. The one’s that really taught me a lot. I’m just going back to what made me love music in the beginning, so I can remember why I started and make sure I use that influence in my new music.

If you could ask a living or dead artist any question, who would it be and what would you ask them?

That’s such a difficult question. There’s a lot of amazing artists that I never got to see live. I would just talk to Michael Jackson about the frequency. I believe that when you make music, the song is already written and in the air.

It’s just our job to hear it and sometimes let the melodies and lyrics come from the divine and we’re just transmitters of that beautiful sound. I’ve been told by a few people that he also felt the same way.

So I would have loved to have talked to Michael about that and maybe learn more about how he was able to hear all those beautiful melodies, and hope that would help influence me to bring more beautiful melodies to the world.

What, according to you, makes for a great song?

It’s so different. There’s no standard or formula. I think a great song is when people just have fun. When they want to move and remember the words immediately. And when they want to hear it over and over again. So it’s whatever you can do to make an earworm and make it a great song.

Finally, why do you love music?

I think music is very universal. No matter what language you speak, you can listen to a song in another language and understand and feel it without even really understanding the lyrics.

The melody itself, the rhythms and the way it moves you is universal. I love things that belong to the human family and not just one group. I love that and am a part of that. That’s why I love music.