After writing for artists like Fall Out Boy and Fifth Harmony, as well as the TV show Empire, Raja Kumari has been busy recording her own story, weaving her Indian roots with her American upbringing. That continues with the video for "KARMA," off her most recent EP, BLOODLINE. It balances historical Indian imagery with neon colors that have returned to popularity.
In an email, Kumari broke down the imagery and significance of the video for her unruly and booming song: "The video was done by an all-female team. It started as a collaboration between myself and Sam Madhu. 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."
Watch the video above and listen to the full BLOODLINE EP below.
Raja has also been a judge on MTV’s hip-hop competition show Hustle in India and hosts the Apple Music Beats 1 show, The New India.
Photo: Colston Julian