Get to know... Raja Kumari

Rapper, singer and songwriter @TheRajaKumari is craving hummus, a spa day — and obsessing over the Indus Valley civilisation

Get to know... Raja Kumari

Currently, I am:

Watching the AI Mahabharata on Jio Hot Star.

High point in life:

My Arangetram at age seven. I think it was the beginning of my entire life as an artist, and I refer to that moment a lot.

Low point in my life:

My first heartbreak, and how I coped. I made music, I alchemised my pain into art.

On my playlist:

Kailash Kher’s Saiyyan; Shashwat Sachdeva’s Ghafoor, featuring Shilpa Rao and Ujwal Gupta; Khayaal, by Talwinder Singh Sidhu.

One thing I would never buy:

Meat.

Today I’m craving:

Hummus.

Last thing I ordered online:

A Kansa, gua sha, and some copper balls to infuse water with copper energy.

App I check before going to bed:

WhatsApp. I chat with my parents halfway across the world. As I go to bed, their day is just starting.

Advice I give my 18-year-old self:

Stay exactly the way you are; you will go a long way in life. Keep your passion for art and your vision clear.

My favourite subject:

History. If I wasn’t a pop star, I’d be an archaeologist.

I’d swipe right on:

Intellect. If he has an interest in history, even better.

My secret skill:

I am good at snowboarding.

A magic tool I wish I had:

A teleportation device. Most times I have to cancel things because I just can’t fly across the world to attend them.

Favourite Sunday memory:

Family lunch in America, we would just get cans of amras from the Indian store, and my mom would make hot pooris.

My plans for next Sunday:

A spa day.

My most starstruck moment:

Working with John Legend in his LA studio with all his Grammys on the piano. We collaborated on an anthem called Keep Walking.

My favourite bad habit:

I can’t resist chocolate.

If I could travel back:

I’d go back and see the Indus Valley civilisation. I’ve been obsessed with it for years.

The best thing about fame:

I use it to get access to museums.

The worst thing about fame:

Few artists are able to separate public and personal life. And in some places, security can be an issue.