Indian-American rapper and singer Raja Kumari has once again mesmerized audiences with her latest album, Kashi to Kailash, a sonic tribute to Lord Shiva. Released during Shivratri, the album marks a deeply spiritual and transformative phase in her career. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Raja Kumari spoke about the creative process behind the album, her musical inspirations, and future projects.
A Spiritual Calling Turned Into Music
Describing Kashi to Kailash as a "sonic temple dedicated to Lord Shiva," Raja Kumari revealed that the album was born from an intense personal and spiritual journey. "When you take a risk in your artistic career, it's because you're called to do it," she said. Having infused Sanskrit mantras and philosophical thoughts into her previous albums, she felt the need to fully commit to an album dedicated to divine music.
"Over the last few years, as I went through emotional and spiritual transformations, I would listen to Shiva Tandav and other devotional songs. I always heard another version in my head—what it would sound like with an 808 or a hip-hop beat. The thought kept resonating with me, and I knew I couldn’t release anything else until I put out Kashi to Kailash," she shared. Collaborating with composer and producer Nacho Larraza, she ensured the album remained a focused and intentional creation.
Completing the Album in Just 28 Days
Remarkably, Kashi to Kailash was completed within just 28 days, a stark contrast to the years-long production cycles of most albums. "The timeline wasn’t self-imposed; it just happened. Within the first three days, I had already laid out the structure of all five songs," she revealed. Unlike her previous projects, where self-doubt played a role, this time she had unwavering confidence in the timeless appeal of devotional music. "These songs have been bangers for 10,000 years. There’s no question of whether they’ll resonate; it’s just about how you interpret them," she added.
Learning from Musical Legends
Over the years, Raja Kumari has worked with industry giants like A.R. Rahman, Gwen Stefani, and Anirudh Ravichander. She credits them with shaping her artistic journey in distinct ways. "A.R. Rahman is always up for collaboration; he's a fusion artist at heart. His approach inspired me to incorporate live instruments like the Puneri dhol, flute, violin, tabla, and dhoki into my album. Gwen is somebody that just inspired me to always be fully authentic. Like, I remember the time that I got to spend with Gwen, she was going through a lot of personal changes in her life, going through a divorce and, getting remarried. And I think during that time, she would just come to the studio, and it didn't matter what she was feeling or what she was going through, she would perform on the microphone as if she was on stage in front of 1000s of people.”
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Speaking of Anirudh Ravichander, she asserted, “The cool thing I would say about him is he's always been a producer that's let me do my own thing. He would just send me a beat. I would write my song. He would have limited feedback. He helped me trust my intuition.
The Evolution of 'Raja Kumari'
Reflecting on her stage name, Raja Kumari shared how the persona has evolved alongside her career. "Raja Kumari, the character as I've come to understand it through my therapy and all my time of self introspection. She's Goddess. She's based off of Mahishasura Mardini, of Dropaudi, of Sita - every badass female character that I encountered as a child, learning about itihas (history) and everything, and I realize now I kind of created her as a defense mechanism to be between me and the world. As I open myself up more, and as people get to know me more. She's a young girl that loves history, loves spirituality, and all the soft things. And I think music being kind of a difficult place. I think Raja Kumari is a character that I created to protect me from the world. I wasn't as confident as the character was, but I knew how to display her, because I had played goddesses since I was six years old. To embody that spirit of Devi was something that I was familiar with, and I think that it really helped me to grow into the artist that I am today, and integrate both sides Svetha and Raja Kumari. So I definitely feel that the name chose me and that it has some past life connection.”
On Working with Salman Khan and Future Projects
Having dedicated the Jawan Anthem to Shah Rukh Khan fans, Raja Kumari expressed her openness to creating a similar anthem for Salman Khan. "I'm down to do everybody's theme songs. I think, you know, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! was one of the first films that I really watched, and I fell in love with Madhuri and Salman and I actually got to work on Race 3. That must have been my first Bollywood kind of song that I did. I worked on Allah Dhuai Hai then. But I would love to work with Salman Khan. I met him once at Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday party. I just walked right up to him and just said, ‘Hi, I'm Raja Kumari. And he was just like, okay.’ So I would love to get a chance to work with Salman Khan.”
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As for upcoming projects, she is exploring a wide range of musical endeavors. "I'm planning a live tour for Kashi to Kailash, where I want to perform in intimate, beautiful spaces across India and globally. Besides that, I'm working on an English album, as well as songs in Punjabi and Telugu. This year is all about experimentation and breaking limitations,” she concluded.
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