Mumbai, May 28 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Raja Kumari, who recently bagged the American Music Award (AMA) for Best Soundtrack for her track ‘Renegade (We Never Run)’, has shared that the her recent win signals that it’s time for her to go back to the West, and explore more possibilities in the region.
The song featured in the season 2 ‘Arcane: League of Legends’. ‘Renegade (We Never Run)’ is a dynamic collaboration between Raja Kumari, British rapper Stefflon Don, and Dominican-American artist Jarina De Marco.
Raja Kumari spoke with IANS following her win at the AMA, and shared that as a musician, it’s important to keep evolving. The singer has spent the last few years really focusing her time in India, and one of those years was a year she took off to focus on her spirituality and learn more about herself.
Raja Kumari told IANS, “I think this AMA, for me personally, kind of signals that it’s time to go back to the West, back to where I was born in Los Angeles, and put out more music, spreading it even further. It’s an encouraging sign, and I hope it opens the door to more collaborations, both international collaborations and more opportunities for people to be introduced to my music”.
She further mentioned, “Being part of such a large soundtrack backed by Netflix exposed me to so many new audiences, and I feel like now I have the opportunity to play music for them, to be the soundtrack to their lives. I’m just excited about all the new people I’ve met through this project”.
The singer shared that her rise as an artist has been marked with milestones along the way. There have been different goals that she has set as an artist, whether it’s international collaborations or working with brands that, as a musician, she may not have worked with in the past.
She told IANS, “I also aim to open doors for more South Asian artists, whether through representation or simply by being involved in all kinds of scenarios that don’t limit me to one thing. As a musician, many independent artists are told they can only do one thing, but I believe that, through my career, especially in the past few years, I’ve shown that you can redefine yourself and evolve. So, yeah, evolution”.
She thinks that there’s always a time in an artist’s life when they get to reinvent themselves, try new things, and it has been very important to her over the last few years to work in regional languages.
“I’ve been working on many projects in regional languages, including Hindi and Punjabi, working with films. I’m also working on my new album. I’ve taken some time off, done a lot of healing, experienced many new things, and I have a lot to bring to the music scene. So, you can expect new projects from me, both in English and regional languages”, she added.
–IANS
aa/