[WATCH]: Indian-American rapper Raja Kumari releases new video “Firestarter”
Written by Vibe Houston Staff on August 9, 2021
GRAMMY® nominated rapper, dancer and singer-songwriter Raja Kumari has recently unveiled her new single, “Firestarter,” released via Mass Appeal India in partnership with Capitol Records. The record mixes trap beats with Indian classical music, continuing Raja’s mission to trailblaze a musical connection between the East and the West. The “Firestarter” video is directed by MTV VMA 2020 titleholder Michael Garcia.
Emerging as a disruptive force in hip-hop, Raja Kumari received a songwriter award at the BMI Pop Awards, and is the host and curator of her own Apple Music Beats 1 show, The New India, where she spotlights some of India’s brightest new talents. Kumari is a series judge and mentor on MTV Hustle, India’s first rap-reality show, a global face of MAC Cosmetics, and the first female rapper to be signed to Mass Appeal India. Indo-American Kumari has been sought out for collaborations with Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea, Fifth Harmony, Knife Party, Fall Out Boy and more.
“After the last 16 months that we spent in the pandemic it was important for me to put out something that represented what I was going through. I just love how universal the record is and how it’s for everyone. The song represents being reborn and rising from the ashes like a phoenix and the need to constantly reinvent yourself and not being fearful about it,” Kumari said. “This is my 25th music video and I have accepted now that it’s my job to make these visual pieces of musical art. It’s been almost two years since I’ve been on the set, specifically for my own independent music video, where it’s about the fashion and the production. This is the first time that I didn’t take the whole creation process too seriously as I wanted it to be fun and free flowing.”