Raja Kumari on re-imagining Alisha Chinai's 1995 hit Made In India with new single: 'The song is a celebration of my heritage'

Hip-hop star Raja Kumari grew up in the US, but she is definitely “Made in India”. The Grammy-nominated Indian-American songwriter has unveiled her latest track ‘Made In India’, which is an interpolation of Queen of Indi-pop Alisha Chinai’s ‘ Made in India’. Kumari had been noticing many artists going back to the classics, but she always thought that if she did that she wouldn’t just cover songs. “I wanted to make something that would be my expression. While growing up in America, every Saturday morning we used to watch a show where they would play music videos. I remember watching this video (Alisha’s Made In India) then I forgot about it,” the rapper tells Firstpost. Kumari didn’t take the pop music route but set out on a hip-hop journey. While working on the concept of her new song, she recalled Alisha’s hit 1995 track.

“I realised that Alisha Chinai’s video is my entire aesthetic, so I wonder how much she influenced me without even me realising it,” she says.

Kumari also realised that people often classify others or put them in a box, but she is proud of being an Indian. “If you look at my face, everywhere I go people will know I am made in India. The song is just a celebration of that. The music video is a celebration of Indian women who are breaking stereotypes and the glass ceiling,” she says. The song’s video also features dancing diva Madhuri Dixit Nene.

“My relationship with Madhuri…it has changed my life in a lot of ways,” she says. The two met for the first time when the Bollywood actress was in the US working on an album. They immediately clicked at the time. Then Kumari arrived in India in 2017 for the next step in her career. “Madhuri opened her home and family to me. It was important because I was alone in Mumbai and my whole family was in America. I came out here with no support, so being with her…we formed a bond. I respect her so much,” says the ‘City Slums’ hitmaker. For her, the actress has always been a symbol of Indian beauty and grace. “’Made In India’ is my first independent single, so it really meant a lot to me that she came and did a cameo in my first independent release,” says Kumari. The music video that also features young Indian girls is directed by Kumari and Kirti Narain. “I got to direct Madhuri! I was on the microphone and telling her to show her grace. She was very natural. It was like a dream to have her in the video,” says the rapper. The song, which is a tribute to her Indian heritage, is created in collaboration with Metro Shoes. In the video, she is also seen pairing sneakers with lehenga, which is not a common style. “I think with fashion, you can really express yourself. It doesn’t have to be expensive or out of reach, it’s about how you wear it. Fashion is really about you. Metro Shoes is such a household name and I really related to them. It just felt good for them to support me,” she says. Kumari is not just into independent music. She has also done Bollywood numbers like ‘Husn Parcham’ and ‘The Wakhra Song’. “I’d love to do more Hindi films and go back to my roots and do Telugu films’ songs,” she shares. In the US, she is known for penning chartbusters for global artistes like Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea and Fall Out Boy. “I am going back to America this summer. One of my goals when I spend a few months there is to go back to my songwriting. I can try to do pop songs or sad love songs, but maybe my fans may not expect that from me. As an artist and as a creative person, I have a lot to say. So I am really looking forward to songwriting for artists again,” she says. Her other goal is to provide a platform for young female talent. “I have got a lot of music which I’ll be putting out this year. I am looking to find young female talent, especially from India because I think artists’ development is badly needed. With just with a little bit of care, we can change the landscape in music,” she says. For her, 2022 is going to be a year of lot of hard work. “My focus will be on putting out music and getting out there as much as I can with touring,” she signs off. Check out the music video here

Natalia Ningthoujam is a Manipur-based journalist. She knows how to smoothly switch from being a fan to a writer whenever needed. She tweets at @nattynick. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.