Raja Kumari embraces her roots with Kashi to Kailash: A journey of spirituality, self-expression and cultural pride

Kashi To Kailash feels like the album I’ve always been meant to create. Through the process of making this, I realised that I’ve been planting seeds of spirituality in my music — be it a jati, a mantra, or a deeper message. But with this album, I made a decision to be completely authentic. I embraced my roots fully, going all-in with Sanskrit, and created something that felt deeply meaningful. As a classical dancer whose art has always been an offering to Lord Saraswati and Lord Shiva, Kashi To Kailash brought that same sacred energy back to my music. The creative process was simple: I locked myself away in my home, and alongside my longtime collaborator Nacho Larraza, we created the entire album in just 28 days. We recorded everything — from Puneri dhol, flutes, and violins to tabla, dholki, and even the sound of my feet in gungroos.

Growing up in the West, I was far removed from my motherland, and I always felt the need to preserve and stay connected to my culture. It was always about identity — when it came time to become an artiste, I couldn’t leave behind who I was. I wanted the world to see the beauty of my culture. Being in America, where classical culture isn’t as prominent, made me even more determined to keep my Indian roots alive and present in my work.

I felt like my film music just came at a time when it helped me feel connected to the industry. In some ways, I learned about Indian culture by watching Bollywood films. That’s why you can see Madhuri Dixit’s mannerisms in my face. Or how Sanjay Leela Bhansali has inspired me. I’ve always been a composer and a lyricist on the parts that I do. And I think that’s helped me kind of inject some different type of sound into Bollywood. One of the most memorable projects was Jawan — being able to write a theme song for Shah Rukh Khan was a dream come true. I grew up with his posters on my wall, and to manifest that into reality felt surreal. It’s like life had come full circle being able to write a theme song for Shah Rukh Khan. The challenge, though, was writing it under immense time pressure — I wrote the song in an hour on the day of the release of my album, The Bridge. The hardest part wasn’t the work itself but being able to deliver at the highest level with limited time. Sometimes when your biggest opportunities come, they don’t come in a way that gives you all the space that you would desire. But you have to deliver in the moment. Jawan was a perfect project for me, celebrating female energy, and will always be my favourite project.

We’ve been working hard to build a community, create platforms, have more festivals, and have the audience understand us. Seeing more female artistes taking control of their music and expressing themselves confidently and experimenting is an exciting shift. I remember a time when there would be only one female artiste on a lineup, and now, we’re seeing a much-needed diversification. It’s a sign of better things to come, with more international artistes performing in India and larger platforms emerging. The growth of independent music means more opportunities for musicians to experiment, and I think that’s time. Sometimes when your biggest opportunities come, they don’t come in a way that gives you all the space that you would desire. But you have to deliver in the moment. Jawan was a perfect project for me, celebrating female energy, and will always be my favourite project.

Working in Bollywood has been an incredible experience because it brings an enormous level of exposure. Jawan is an example — a billion people would have heard the song in a day. It can be challenging sometimes because you have to adapt the song to the character of the film and capture that vibe, like with Baby John.

But independent music, in its purest form, is all about self-expression. Recording is such a special process. Being able to work in detail with your voice, create and shape the music is such a beautiful process. But the stage is exhilarating, especially feeding off the energy of the crowd.

I believe it’s easier now to be accepted worldwide. There’s so much more exposure to Indian culture today — yoga, Indian films, food, and fashion have brought Indian culture to the forefront. When I was growing up, people couldn’t even find India on a map, but today, there’s a brown renaissance happening across various industries. Take the case of Coachella. Artistes like me now have a platform. At the same time, I think we don’t need the acceptance worldwide. We just need to accept ourselves and do things authentically, and the world will pay attention.

Fashion, for me, is about being true to yourself. I take that mentality into my everyday fashion, always striving for something that reflects my culture and my identity. Growing up, I didn’t have access to the couture I wanted, so I made my own outfits by upcycling my mom’s saris and blending Western fashion with Indian styles. My mantra is simple: be yourself, embrace your heritage, and wear it proudly.

Kashi To Kailash has been an incredible experience to create the music, and now it’s my job to create the visuals. I believe I am a visual artiste. There is a visual for the Shiva Thandav Strotram coming up that was filmed in Rishikesh, just like classical dance put to screen. I am ready to take the show on the road; it’s a new theatrical kind of performance that blends all of my trainings. I am really excited about the next step of my career. Earlier, I was more categorised as a hip-hop artiste, and I couldn’t really find my audience. I am looking for the right partners in the right situations where I can connect with my audience and share my music and art in India and the world. More music, more dance, more fashion, more art — that’s where I’m heading next.