King Kumari’s

In a career for more than a decade, Raja Kumari has consistently tried to redefine borders, which combines classical Indian sounds with modern hip-hop and electronica. He has collaborated with some of the biggest names of Indian and international music including AR Rahman, Anirudh and Guen Stephanie. His latest album, Kailash to KashiOn 21 February, its most individual and spiritual project, through its independent label Godmadar records. This is, she says, “A sound temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.” Speaking on the phone from Bangalore, where she was participating in a retreat in the art of the Living Afaram, Raja Kumari talked about the journey for the project.

Return to the roots

“I think this is the first time I am releasing something (deeply spiritual), but it really is how I started my artistic journey,” she says. “I started at the age of six, with my first Aragatram , Shivathandava And Mahishasurmardini (Both Hindu deities belong to Shiva). Therefore, my relationship with Shiva and (Hindu Devi) Devi has been a lifetime. Even my character of King Kumari (her real name is Sweta Yalpragada Rao) is inspired by the goddess. Growing in America, I was never ready for Superman or Batman when I had Hanuman and Arjuna. ,

This relationship with Indian classical traditions extends to its creative process. “I have included Jathis (Rhythmic pattern) In all my albums, “She says.” Earlier, I tried to fit it into American space, but with Kailash to KashiI finally stopped trying to fit. I went to this time. ,

For King Kumari, Kailash to Kashi There was not just an album; This was the culmination of years of spiritual and professional introspection. “In our dark times, God talks to us. People think that failures are just obstacles, but they are really setup for something more. In 2023, I had the greatest performance of my life with John Legend. But after that, I faced challenges in the music industry. I felt blackball. My Indian tour was canceled, and I had to sit with the feeling that something had to be changed. ,

The period of upheaval and the period brought him to a vision of Kedarnath, a place he visited 20 years ago. “I went there to Shiva,” What should I do next? My family is pressuring me. I am unmarried. I am doing my best, but not doing anything. “And he asked me to surrender. That moment changed everything. I spent the next year from the album cycle, from top to bottom, from top to bottom, I also learned the contract. Solah Somar fast (A 16-mande fast believed to bring good luck). I was no longer worried about my future. ,

He also participated in this year’s Maha Kumbh, where he felt “very protected and love”. “Aquarius experience was amazing. We did not even have VIP tickets; We settled. It was incredible to see the Akhadas, meet the Naga sadhus, and receive blessings from them. I went with any plan, just to get the mode. I saw Kalagram and was inspired by its beauty. Being the largest human meeting on earth dedicated to Shiva, I felt that I was in the right gang. ,

A devotional calling

When the time came to create an album, Raja Kumari felt something more directed. “On January 25, I called my colleague Nacho Laraja. He flew from Spain the next day, and we started immediately. Within 28 days, it was done until the first mic recording was released. My previous albums had songs that took two to three years to come out. It was a different. ,

For Raja Kumari, the album is also about making Sanskrit mantras accessible to the global audience. “I think my generation needs to benefit from Sanskrit. They do not have to be a Hindu – these songs are in the form of humans of all of us. If I can present more people with the power of mantra in a way that is mixed in the music that they already love, it is my service. ,

“I hope children will learn songs. People are tagging me, saying, ‘I did not think I would be in the gym after listening to the 3000 year old mantra, but it becomes very difficult.’

She sees music as more than raga and rhythm; It is a “language that connects souls.” “The musicians are like antennas,” she says, “to be a musician, you have to be sensitive to frequency and vibration that is divine. When you hear a raga, you are not making it. We are not creators; we are just transmitters. We are ships.”

This is why cooperation seems sacred to him, why is there a moment when a song is just Click. “If some of us may agree, more people will also resonate with it.” And she says, she is what makes music universal. “Music is a lubricant of spirituality.”