Raja Kumari talks about Diljit Dosanjh’s Coachella debut.
Raja Kumari talks about performing with Ali Sethi at Coachella this year and praises Diljit Dosanjh for making his debut at the festival.
Coachella, one of the biggest global music festivals, may have ended on April 23, but its element of inclusivity, diversity and Asian representation continues to make headlines. Along with actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, who grabbed the attention of many across the world, rapper Raja Kumari also received widespread appreciation and love for performing pasoori with Pakistani musician Ali Sethi on the global stage. In an exclusive interview with News18, she opens up on collaborating with Ali, hoping to perform her own set at Coachella 2024 and her latest track Born to Win from the album titled The Bridge. Excerpts:
How was the experience of performing at Coachella? Would you call yourself a fan of Ali Sethi?
Coachella was amazing. I am a native of California. I was born there. So, I grew up always thinking about Coachella and the first time I would be able to perform there. It was very special to be a guest on the sets of Ali Sethi. One, because I love and respect him a lot. I love his voice and what he has done in Paasuri. It was the number one Googled song in the world. So, getting to sing it on the Coachella stage was pretty incredible. This is a song that I personally listen to hundreds of times. So, to be able to sing in Urdu on that stage and to be a part of the entire South-Asian representation at Coachella was a special time for me. It was great fun. i love to sing Ali and I had the best time on stage. I hope we get to do this more often in the future.
In a recent Instagram post, you said that Ali Sethi had invited you to sing with him. Can you tell us a little bit about how it all happened?
We both are friends. Ali lives in New York and I am in the US most of the time. We met and he is such a lovely person that he invited me to be a part of the moment. It was magical. I love what she wore the other week. It came straight out of an old painting. It was just beautiful. Ali and me holding hands and performing on that song was very special for both of us.
Like Pasuri, Diljit Dosanjh’s videos also went viral. How was watching him live?
For me, Diljit’s set was the highlight of Coachella. I reached the festival grounds late because everything was blocked. I actually had to run from side to side to reach on time and when he went on stage, I did it just in time. The word I use to describe her being and we seeing her in our moment is ‘special’. We danced our hearts out. Lots of love and congratulations to him and his team as they had loads of dancers on stage. Being on the sets of Ali, I know how much logistics was involved for just five-six of us. So, what he did was impressive.
He said that this is just the beginning and going forward more and more Indian singers will be seen on the Coachella stage…
I am a spell caster. I came on that stage as a surprise guest. I think it’s something that uniquely happens at Coachella because it’s all about the guests. It was fun playing that role but I look forward and hope that next year, I will get a set of my own and perform the songs I have written. Sharing them at Coachella would be like a full circle. I think I have spent most of my time traveling India and performing for people in India. But I feel it is time to share myself and my stage performance with more people in America.
Are there any other performances that stood out for you?
Bad Bunny was incredible. It was so inspiring to watch him. He began his performance by showing video footage of all the Latin Superstars who paved the way for him. The entire time he was on stage, he didn’t utter a word in English and neither did Diljit. It was great to see that. Blackpink was one of the headliners for one night. Not every major moment was in English and that was a fascinating experience. For me, Bad Bunny was incredible, whether it was the production or the flawless transitions. I think Joey Crooks was handsome and charming. It was great to see him sing live with his band. He is like an effortless superstar. It was really cool to be there and see everyone doing their job.
What can you tell us about Born to Win? Would it be safe to say that you feel the same way about yourself (Born to Win)?
This is my first full-length album and first full-length release from my own label. So, it’s safe to say that I definitely took control during this album and I think part of being able to put out a project like this is my belief in myself after I left the major label system. Complete a project that I will be able to do with. Born To Win was written during the pandemic at a time when I didn’t know if we would ever get back to the stages and get our music careers back to the way we are today. I was reminding myself of my destiny and my religion. So, Born to Win is definitely about me.
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The main struggle in making this album was that it was made during the pandemic. So, I didn’t have access to the people I usually have access to. But that struggle also turned out to be a strength as this album was built without distractions and outside opinions. It was made by four people – my two producers, my best friend from childhood whom I had known since I was 16 and me. It brought Born to Win back to my roots and my beginnings. So the album sounds like what it does and it’s a cohesive idea from beginning to end. This is an important project to me and I hope to be able to perform it at Coachella next year.
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