Having performed her latest album Kashi to Kailash in Nepal, singer Raja Kumari on how her South Asian identity influences her creations
Raja Kumari. Pics/Instagram
Earlier this year, American rapper and singer Svetha Yallapragada Rao aka Raja Kumari was invited to visit Nepal by the country’s tourism board. So taken was she by the country’s energy that she pitched the idea of a live performance there. “This was my first solo show performing Kashi to Kailash,” she tells us, days after she performed her latest album at the historic Lohan Chowk in Hanumandhoka, Kathmandu. “Usually, in my shows, a small section has spiritual undertones. But this time, the entire show was rooted in that energy. I really opened up, and spoke about moments when I felt God was guiding me in my journey as a musician. It was beautiful to share in such a sacred space,” she says.
In her older interviews, the Grammy-nominated songwriter had spoken about going through a dark phase around 2023 when she was blackballed and her India tour was cancelled. This album centred her, she says. “Looking back now, I see that period as necessary for my healing. It forced me to examine what parts of me were performative, and what was authentic. I took a year off the album cycle. That year, I wanted to reconnect with my body, and I realised how important it was to allow myself to heal. It’s no longer about meeting external expectations. It’s about creating from a place of truth.”
Raja Kumari performing in Nepal
It is from this place that Kashi to Kailash was born. In a way, it is also Kumari’s response to people trying to limit her identity. “People said, ‘She can’t sing in Hindi,’ or ‘Why is she trying Punjabi?’ With Kashi to Kailash, I went straight into Sanskrit, one of the most complex languages. If I can do Sanskrit, why should I be scared of any language? Now, I want to do Ganpati songs, the Hanuman Chalisa, but produced in a way that feels fresh and musically relevant,” she says excitedly.
This is a fascinating time to be a South Asian artiste. While Diljit Dosanjh is selling out shows in the US, Ali Sethi has become a prominent name in music. Kumari is confident that the future is big for South Asian music. “Earlier, when I was writing songs for top talents, I used to be the only Indian in the room. They’d call me India or Yogi, and I’d play into it too, with lyrics about mangoes and curry. But we’ve evolved. Now there are more South Asian stories being told — not just by musicians, but also actors, writers, and directors. Sure, the West still exoticises us. But we’re pushing back and saying that we’re more than their stereotype. For instance, why didn’t Cartier give Diljit the legendary Patiala necklace for his Met Gala appearance? Instead, they gave it to a YouTuber two years ago. That kind of erasure is infuriating. It’s performative inclusion. Yet, we’re pushing — that’s the shift,” she asserts, before recalling an incident where she stood her ground with a US music label. “They couldn’t understand why I insisted on wearing a bindi. That inspired my song, Bindis and bangles.”
Grammy, here we come!
Raja Kumari, who was a songwriter of the Grammy-nominated song Change your life, is eyeing her shot at the Grammys. “I hope to give Kashi to Kailash the life it deserves, and maybe get nominated. We will enter the album,” she says.
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