Raja Kumari
Raja Kumari | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Svetha Yellapragada Rao |
| Born | January 11, 1986 Claremont, California, United States |
| Origin | Telugu |
| Genres | Pop, dance, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Epic Records |
| Website | rajakumari.com |
Svetha Rao (born January 11, 1986), professionally known as Raja Kumari ('The princess' in Sanskrit), is an Indian American songwriter, rapper and recording artist from Claremont, California.[1][2] Kumari is best known for her collaboration with notable artists including Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea, Fifth Harmony,[3] Knife Party, and Fall Out Boy.[4][5] She is also notable for receiving as a songwriter, the BMI Pop Awards in 2016,[6][7] being nominated to a Grammy award in February 2015,[8] and featuring on BBC Asian Network programme Bobby Friction on July 5, 2016.[9]
Life
Kumari holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies, with an emphasis on South Asian religions. She is an Indian classical dancer who started dancing at the age of 7. While in fifth grade, Kumari discovered hip hop through the Fugees' album The Score. By the age of 14, she was a noticed freestyle MC known as “Indian Princess” (IP) or “Raja Kumari”. During her artist career, she has contributed to several philanthropic activities through her performances including the creation of a hospital in Bangalore and a meditation hall in South India for the Vegesna Foundation, a school for physically disabled children. As a result, Kumari has been recognized as a benefactor by the Foundation for Indic Philosophy and Culture (Indic Foundation) and has been honored with the Kohinoor Award for excellence in the Classical Arts by the Governor of Tamil Nadu.[10]
Career
Kumari co-wrote, featured in or performed background vocals in a number of notable songs including Fall Out Boy’s double-platinum single “Centuries”, "Change Your Life" feat. T.I., Vicetone's “Don't You Run”,[11] Brave Enough by Lindsey Stirling, Set Me Free[disambiguation needed] for Baz Luhrmann's original Netflix series The Get Down about the birth of Hip Hop and Iggy Azalea's Grammy-nominated album The New Classic. She has also contributed to songs in albums by Gwen Stefani, Fifth Harmony (Reflection), Twin Shadow, and Dirty South. Recently she released her debut solo single "Mute" featuring Elvis Brown and produced by Jules Wolfson at Epic Records.[2][9][12] which premiered on Paper Magazine's website. In May 2016, Kumari was honored at the 2016 BMI Pop Awards for co-writing the song "Centuries" with Fall Out Boy.[6][7][13] In addition, she has a recording contract with Epic Records through L.A. Reid and collaborated with several players in the music industry, including artists Polow Da Don, J.R. Rotem, Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, Soulshock and Karlin, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, Justin Tranter and Fernando Garibay.[14] She has also been inspired in her music style by the Indian composer and producer A. R. Rahman.[2]
Discography
Songs written
| Year | Title | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Change Your Life" | Iggy Azalea | Single |
| 2014 | "Freefallin'" | Dirty South | With You |
| "Boss Mode" | Knife Party | Abandon Ship | |
| "Centuries" | Fall Out Boy | Single | |
| 2015 | "Like Mariah" | Fifth Harmony featuring Tyga | Reflection |
| "Sadness" | Selah Sue | Reason | |
| "Eclipse" | Twin Shadow | Eclipse | |
| "Spark" | Ghost Town | Single | |
| "Runnin'" | Empire (season 2) | Empire: Season 2, Vol. 1 (Original Soundtrack) | |
| "Broken Hearted" | Kalin and Myles | Single | |
| "Changed My Life" | Kalin and Myles | Kalin and Myles | |
| 2016 | "Red Flag" | Gwen Stefani | This Is What the Truth Feels Like |
| "Naughty" | |||
| "Loveable" | |||
| "Obsessed" | |||
| "Splash" | |||
| "War Paint" | |||
| "Mirage" | Lindsey Stirling | Brave Enough | |
| 2017 | "Never Give Up" | Anirudh Ravichander | Vivegam |
Mixtapes
- Curry Sauce Vol. 1 (2016)
EPs
- The Come Up (2016)
Songs recorded
- "Mute" (Performer/Writer).[9]
- Vicetone – "Don't You Run featuring Raja Kumari" (Performer/Writer).[11]
References
- ^ Vivianne Lapointe (May 11, 2016). "While You Were At Coachella: I Escaped to Bali With the People Who Write the Hits". Huffington Post.
- ^ a b c Nadya Agrawal (July 1, 2016). "Rapper Raja Kumari Blends Indian Classical Music With Trap Beats on "Mute"". Paper Magazine.
- ^ Nolan Feeney (March 18, 2016). "Gwen Stefani: How Making My New Album Saved My Life". Time.
- ^ Bill Lamb. "Fall Out Boy – "Centuries"". About.com.
- ^ "Raja Kumari". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "BMI Honors Taylor Swift and Legendary Songwriting Duo Mann & Weil at the 64th Annual BMI Pop Awards". BMI. May 2011.
- ^ a b "'Just look at us. I love her!' Courteney Cox dons bridal white with lovestruck former fiancé Johnny McDaid at BMI Awards". Daily Mail. May 2011.
- ^ "Bryan-Michael Cox & Sesac Host Annual Pre-Grammys Brunch". The Source (Magazine). February 9, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Raja Kumari – Mute!". BBC Asian Network – Bobby Friction. July 5, 2016.
- ^ Nila Choudhury (May 26, 2011). "Multi-talented starlet Raja Kumari's got a heart". Urban Asia.
- ^ a b "Preview: Vicetone ft. Raja Kumari – Don't You Run (Original Mix)". Bangin Beats.
- ^ "Raja Kumari – MUTE Ft. Elvis Brown". LiveFast magazine.
- ^ "Meet L.A. Reid's Latest Protege Raja Kumari". The Knockturnal.
- ^ Nila Choudhury (June 7, 2016). "Raja Kumari brings flavor to the table with 'Curry Sauce'". Urban Asia.
External links
- Articles with links needing disambiguation from April 2017
- 1986 births
- Living people
- People from Claremont, California
- American songwriters
- American female singer-songwriters
- American singer-songwriters
- 21st-century American singers
- American women artists of Indian descent
- American female singers of Indian descent