Xperience Sessions: In Conversation with Raja Kumari

This week, settling under the spotlight for yet another Xperience Session was rap superstar, Raja Kumari.

Svetha Yallapragada r. Rao, who goes by her moniker, Raja Kumari, is an Indian-American rapper, songwriter and singer. The young star can easily be credited with changing the rap landscape of the country.
Many of her tunes feature a fine cocktail of both English and Hindi verses. And the production? We’ve witnessed Kumari dabble in old-school Hip Hop sounds, warped beats and sometimes we even see her leaning towards a more synth-pop foundation.

Much like other rap artists across the globe, Kumari doesn’t shy away from rapping about weighty issues. Be it religion, misogyny, racism – she always manages to find a creative way of weaving social issues into her pieces.

And yet, with her more recent single, we discovered an entirely different side to Raja Kumari. The star took things down a notch with, ‘Peace,’ carving it into a gentle, uplifting tune. And perhaps this song is simply proof that you cannot box her in. Kumari’s music finds its space across a spectrum of different genres and concepts. As she articulated herself, “I think all my projects are like chapters.” She went on to shed some light on her new album which is titled, ‘Bridge’. And it explores “bridging the ancient to the future, the West to the East, and between ourselves and God – music is the bridge.” But ultimately, Kumari stated, “It’s always important that there’s music with message.” And perhaps a glimpse of her lyrics for the track, ‘Peace,’ will clarify this message:

You can’t buy this feeling
I get high off living
I stay manifesting love
Three birds and I been singing

I got peace all around me
Ain’t no drama these days
You won’t see me when I’m coming
‘Cause I’m changing my ways

It’s safe to say that amid this global pandemic, everyone’s been through some sort of change or transformation. And it’s time to embrace this new version of ourselves.

This Xperience Session is simply buzzing with life. From discussing ‘Peace’ to a wild rapid fire round to her recipe for dealing with haters – Raja Kumari pretty much covers everything under the sun. So strap in and brace yourself for one thrilling ride!