When Indian origin singer-songwriter Raja Kumari was signed to a major American label in 2015, she was told she would “get more budget” if she “didn’t drop the bindi”. “Back then, it was about exoticising who I was, not celebrating it,” she recalls.
“I didn’t want to wear my culture as a costume. I wanted to celebrate it. That’s why when I came to India, the liberation I felt as an artist was incredible. Here, I could reference a character like Meera and just name a song after her without over-explaining,” she says adding that before stepping into her own artistry, Raja Kumari always knew she wanted to forger her own path in music after writing for some of the biggest global acts.
“I got my first platinum record with Fall Out Boy. I wrote for Gwen Stefani and Fifth Harmony. During that time, I learned how people perceive music, but I also understood what was unique about me. My voice is distinct—it pokes through. So when people sampled me, I thought, if you can sample me, why not have me too,” she added.
That authenticity now drives her projects in India. Her work in the recently released album Sounds of Kumbh and her own album Kashi to Kailash both place spirituality at the centre, something that she says has always been one of her expressions in her music.
“I’ve strung together the devotional songs across all my albums. I’m not keeping it in the background anymore—I’m bringing it to the forefront, being fearless about it. Even my voice, I embed frequencies and resonances to create trance states because that’s what music does to me. Sound has always been healing. The bells in temples, the granite structures—they were designed to resonate at certain frequencies. I’d love to see a revival of that in modern music,” she says.
She also believes India today is ready for its sound to travel. “We do not lack talent—we’re superfluous in talent. The pandemic proved that independent music could thrive, with King, Anuv Jain and AP Dhillon changing the scene. If we build the right infrastructure and celebrate our own sound, Indian music can become an export just like K-pop.”
