| Photo credit: Colston Julian |
[October 8, 2019 – New York, NY] GRAMMY® Award- nominated songwriter and rapper Raja Kumari unleashes the official music video for her track “KARMA” today. The Sam Madhu-directed visuals premiered earlier today via The FADER, who described the video as “balanc[ing] historical Indian imagery with neon colors.” Check out the video HERE.
The colorful and empowering clip was created by an all-female team in collaboration with Kumari and Madhu. In speaking about the video, Kumari told The FADER:
“KARMA is a reminder that beautiful things come to life when strong women put their skills together. The video was done by an all-female team. It started as a collaboration between myself and Sam Madhu, which explores transitions from art to reality and remixes cultural elements from the past and the future. It is inspired by traditional Indian aesthetics and futuristic cyberpunk worlds. Sam basically developed the idea of a neon universe in which I’m the central character, where traditional Indian elements like Rakshasa masks, goddesses and tigers are reborn with contemporary, neon aesthetics to create a universe where I appear as an array of compelling, powerful female characters. So you’ll see a latex matrix-inspired Rakshasi, a neon devi with her shocking pink tiger, a futuristic laser goddess. The video was so fun to make, and I feel like it represent a real female-empowerment moment.”
The song itself is produced by Sean Garrett and packs a passionate and powerful punch locked and loaded with robust rhymes and fierce delivery over a throwback beat with international resonances, which Idolator says finds the artist “coming into her own.” BLOODLINE was released this February on Epic Records and can be streamed on all DSPs HERE. The 5-track project also boasts the acclaimed single “SHOOK.” TIME Magazine commending it as a song that “drips with blustering self-assuredness,” and its Gil Green (Drake, Kanye West)-directed music video has amassed 5.5 million-plus views. Along with Sean Garrett, the EP also includes production work from Danja.
Currently, Kumari is a judge on the MTV India show Hustle, mentoring the next generation of artists in a rap battle competition show. It was the highest rated premiere in the network’s history. After completing her own headlining North American tour, she recently performed alongside Wiz Khalifa in New Delhi and was the first Indian artist to perform at the F1 Festival in Singapore. Look out for more new music from the budding superstar, coming soon.
Be sure to check out Elicit Magazine’s official interview with Raja Kumari here.