| Lady Kash | |
| Birth Name: | Kalaivani Nagaraj |
| Birth Date: | c. 1990 |
| Origin: | Singapore |
| Genre: | Hip Hop, Rap, Film Soundtrack |
| Occupation: | Rapper, Songwriter, Record Executive, Creative Entrepreneur |
| Years Active: | 2007 – present |
| Label: | AKASHIK |
| Associated Acts: | A. R. Rahman |
| Website: | www.ladykashonline.com |
Lady Kash is a rapper-songwriter from Singapore.[1] She has worked with composers such as A. R. Rahman to Yuvan Shankar Raja, Anirudh Ravichander, Santhosh Narayanan, Harris Jayaraj and Thaman S.
In 2013, Lady Kash launched the independent label + creative company AKASHIK to provide indie-centric artiste and label services, as well as distribution and publishing. In 2018, she released the original bilingual hip-hop song "Villupaattu"[2] that took the ancient art form to the world and elevated the once forgotten female Villupaattu artiste "Poongani Amma" to limelight.[3] [4]
In 2023, she became the first artiste to take Tamizh rap to Hollywood when the hip-hop single “Two Cents” was chosen to be synchronized for Episode 9 of the fourth and final season of Netflix comedy-drama series ‘Never Have I Ever’,[5] created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher.
Kalaivani Nagaraj was born in Singapore. When she was a teenager, she moved to India to pursue her studies.[6] She began her journey as a rapper and songwriter in the entertainment industry in 2007.
In 2010, she wrote and recorded with A. R. Rahman in the debut soundtrack "Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam[7] " for the blockbuster movie Enthiran. The song went on to become the first Tamil soundtrack album to enter and top iTunes US/UK Charts.[8]
In the anthem for World Classical Tamil Conference 2010, "Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam",[9] she became the youngest and the only female rapper to record for what became the modern-day anthem of the Tamizh language.
In January 2014, Lady Kash made her debut in Bollywood by writing and recording for the soundtrack "Wanna Mashup" composed by A. R. Rahman for the film Highway. The film directed by Imtiaz Ali starred Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda.[10]
July 2016 saw two back-to-back releases for Lady Kash. The first being "Naam Hai Futsal" - the official Premier Futsal anthem composed by A. R. Rahman with vocals by A. R. R himself, Virat Kohli, Lady Kash and Karthik. The second, her rendition of Kabali's "Neruppu Da," which went viral and amassed over 1 million views in two weeks, was released on 14 July. The track was powered by AKASHIK in conjunction with Think Music India.[11]
On A. R. Rahman's 50th birthday in 2017, Lady Kash released a one take video for a medley titled "Rap Smash" which featured rap hits from the composer. She also released a rework of Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow" in support of the
movement. Currently focusing on original music, the rapper has been putting out singles including "I Told You So" in February 2018 and "Villupaattu" on March 29, 2018, which is also her birthday. The song was dedicated to the elderly dancer Poongani, whom Lady Kash visited.[12]
In 2021, she was a participant in the Tamil edition of reality show Survivor, which was filmed and relayed from Tanzania, East Africa. The program was executed by TV Network Zee Tamil and producers Banijay Asia.[13] She later admitted the executives did not pay attention to the contestants when some of them got sick with COVID[14] .[15]
She has performed in Canada, Switzerland, UK, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai, and India.[16] In 2014's Infinite Love concert tour by Oscar Winner A. R. Rahman, she also performed the cult hit "Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam" with the man himself. More concerts tours with A. R. Rahman include her 2016 performances of "Rap War" at A. R. Rahman's Nenje Ezhu concert tour series (Chennai, Coimbatore & Madurai) and "Rap War 2.0" at A. R. Rahman Live in Dubai 2017.
The "Rap War" performance was the first of its kind concert exclusive ever made in the Indian music industry, and quickly went on to garner much popularity when the video was uploaded around the world. In 2017, she performed at Canada's largest south-Asian music festival, desiFEST in Yonge-Dundas Square. She also performed twice with Anirudh Ravichander during his first concert in Singapore in 2014 and the 2016 edition.[17]
| Record | Category | Track Language | Original Artiste | Lyrics | Music Composer | Additional Vocals | Mix | Master | Format | Label | Release | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villupaattu | Original | Tamil/English | Lady Kash | Lady Kash | Balamurali Balu | V.M. Mahalingam | Sunny M.R. - Mumbai, India | Sunny M.R. - Mumbai, India | Digital Download | AKASHIK | 29 March 2018 | Bilingual hip-hop/rap single which was a BBC Asian Network exclusive worldwide premiere on 25 March 2018 | |
| I Told You So | Original | English | Lady Kash | Lady Kash | Steve Cliff Valentine, Kirishan Suresh | Divya Vivekanandan | Studio Fourteen - Toronto, Canada | Studio Fourteen - Toronto, Canada | Digital Download | Akashik | 22 February 2018 | Hiphop/rap single with music video released on 27 March 2018 | |
| Running In The Same Space[18] | Single |
| Record | Category | Movie | Track Language | co-Singer(s) | Lyrics | Music Composer | Label | Release | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thala Keezha | Soundtrack | Coffee with Kadhal (Tamil) | Tamil | Nithyashree Venkataramanan | Snehan | Yuvan Shankar Raja | U1 Records | 11 October 2022 | ||
| OMG Daddy | Soundtrack | Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu) | Telugu/English | Rahul Sipligunj, Roll Rida, Blaaze, Rahul Nambiar | S. Thaman | Aditya Music | 23 February 2020 (music video) | |||
| Enga Kayila Natta Kudunga | Soundtrack | Adutha Saattai (Tamil) | Tamil | Chellankuppam Subramaniyan | Yugabharathi | Justin Prabhakaran | Muzik247 | 7 August 2019 | ||
| Kalla Kalavaani (Tamil)/Nannu Nammanee (Telugu) | Soundtrack | Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil)/ Nawab (Telugu) | Tamil/Telugu/English | Shakthisree Gopalan | Vairamuthu and Lady Kash (Tamil)/ Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (Telugu) | A. R. Rahman | 5 September 2018 | |||
| Supermodel | Soundtrack | Graghanam (Tamil)/Grahanam (Telugu) | Tamil/English | Lady Kash | Sundaramurthy K.S. | U1 Records | 2 May 2017 | - | ||
| Mission To Sydney | Soundtrack | Si3 (Tamil) | Tamil/English | Lady Kash, Hari | Harris Jayaraj | Eros Music | 27 November 2016 | - | ||
| Kaatril Aeri | Soundtrack | Parandhu Sella Va (Tamil) | Tamil/English | Joshua Sridhar | Na. Muthukumar, Lady Kash | Joshua Sridhar | Saregama | 2 October 2016 | - | |
| Neruppu Da | Soundtrack | Kabali | Tamil | Lady Kash, Arunraja Kamaraj | Santhosh Narayanan | AKASHIK / Think Music India | 14 July 2016 | Exclusive Version released by AKASHIK in collaboration with Santhosh Narayanan / Think Music India | ||
| Wanna Mash Up | Soundtrack | Highway (Hindi) | English | Suvi Suresh, Krissy | Lady Kash, Krissy | A. R. Rahman | T-Series | 24 January 2014 | - | |
| Oh Penne | Soundtrack | Vanakkam Chennai | Tamil/English | Anirudh Ravichander | Lady Kash | Anirudh Ravhichander | AKASHIK / Sony Music India | 17 October 2013 | Original Version released by AKASHIK in collaboration with Anirudh Ravichander / Sony Music India | |
| Pickle Jar | Soundtrack | Pickles The Movie (Tamil/English) | Tamil/English | Krissy, MK | Lady Kash, Krissy, MK | TR Krishna Chetan | Tantra | 18 June 2011 | - | |
| Hold On | Soundtrack | Pickles The Movie (Tamil/English) | Tamil/English | Lady Kash | TR Krishna Chetan | Tantra | 18 June 2011 | - | ||
| Bul Bul | Soundtrack | Devadas (Kannada) | Kannada/English | Shashank | Lady Kash, V. Nagendra Prasad | Joshua Sridhar | Jhankar Music | 13 May 2011 | - | |
| Priyankari Remix | Soundtrack | The Thriller (Malayalam) | Malayalam/English | Benny Dayal, Mamta Mohandas, Krissy | Lady Kash, Hari Narayanan | Dharan Kumar | Manorama Music | 17 November 2010 | - | |
| Ileana Ileana | Soundtrack | Huduga Hudugi (Kannada) | Kannada/English | Benny Dayal, Rita | Lady Kash, Kaviraj | Joshua Sridhar | Anand Audio | 12 November 2010 | - | |
| Bathing At Cannes | Soundtrack | Engeyum Kaadhal (Tamil) | Tamil/English | Emcee Jesz, Ranina Reddy, Krissy | Lady Kash, Emcee Jesz | Harris Jayaraj | Sony Music | 8 November 2010 | - | |
| Gaana Bhajana | Soundtrack | Gaana Bajaana (Kannada) | Kannada/English | Joshua Sridhar, Sayanora Phillip | Lady Kash, Sinchana | Joshua Sridhar | Anand Audio | 29 October 2010 | - | |
| Naina Miley | Soundtrack | The Robot (Hindi) | Hindi/English | A. R. Rahman, Suzanne D’Mello, Krissy | Lady Kash, Swanand Kirkire, Krissy | A. R. Rahman | Venus | 14 August 2010 | - | |
| Irumbile | Soundtrack | Enthiran - The Robot (Tamil) | Tamil/English | A. R. Rahman, Krissy | Lady Kash, Madhan Karky, Krissy | A. R. Rahman | Think Music India | 31 July 2010 | - | |
| Dochey | Soundtrack | Puli (Telugu) | Telugu/English | Shreya Goshal, Krissy | Lady Kash, Chandrabose, Krissy | A. R. Rahman | Sony Music | 11 July 2010 | - | |
| Pappu Hippo | Soundtrack | Pappu (Telugu) | Telugu/English | Yashwanth, Radhika, Phani Kalyan | Lady Kash | Phani Kalyan | Aditya Music | 25 June 2010 | - |
| Record | Category | Track Language | Original Artist | Lyrics | Music Composer | Additional Vocals | Mix | Master | Format | Label | Release | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can You Hear The World | Project | Tamil/English | Bhavatharini, Lady Kash, Various Artistes | Lady Kash, Shalini Singh | Bhavatharini | A R Raihanah, Aishwarya R Dhanush, Shalini Singh & Various Artistes | M Kumaraguruparan, U1 Records - Chennai, India | M Kumaraguruparan, U1 Records - Chennai, India | Digital Download | U1 Records | 8 March 2018 | In honour of International Women's Day 2018 | |
| Rap War 2.0 | Project | Tamil/English | Lady Kash, Sri Rascol, ADK | Lady Kash, Sri Rascol, ADK, Respective Songwriters | A. R. Rahman | - | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Live Performance | A. R. Rahman | 17 March 2017 | A. R. Rahman Live in Dubai | |
| Naam Hai Futsal | Project | Hindi/English | A. R. Rahman, Virat Kohli, Lady Kash, Karthik | Lady Kash, DDB Mudra Group | A. R. Rahman | - | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Digital Download | Unisys Music | 13 July 2016 | Premier Futsal Anthem | |
| Rap War | Project | Tamil/English | Lady Kash, Blaaze, ADK | Lady Kash, Blaaze, ADK, Respective Songwriters | A. R. Rahman | - | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Live Performance | A. R. Rahman | 16 January 2016 | Nenje Ezhu - Concert tour series covering Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for flood relief efforts & A. R. Rahman Live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| Semmozhiyaana Tamizh Mozhiyaam | Project | Tamil | A. R. Rahman, Lady Kash, Various Artistes | M. Karunanidhi | A. R. Rahman | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela, Hariharan, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Bombay Jayashri, Chinmayi, Harini & Various Artistes | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Panchattan Studios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | Digital Download | A. R. Rahman | 15 May 2010 | More than 50 artistes/musicians of Indian-origin came together for the Anthem of the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 |
| Record | Category | Track Language | Original Artiste | Lyrics | Music Composer | Music Production | Additional Vocals | Mix | Master | Format | Label | Release | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodak Yellow – Lady Kash | Remix/Rework | English | Cardi B | Lady Kash | JWhiteDidIt | Krishmusic | - | Studio FlyVision - Paris, France | Studio FlyVision - Paris, France | Digital Download | AKASHIK | 10 December 2017 | Released in support of the #MeToo movement focusing on empowerment | |
| Rap Smash – Lady Kash | Remix/Rework | Tamil/English | Lady Kash, Respective Artistes | Lady Kash, Respective Songwriters | A. R. Rahman | Balamurali Balu | - | Sunny M.R. - Mumbai, India | Sunny M.R. - Mumbai, India | Digital Download | AKASHIK | 6 January 2017 | First ever medley consisting of A. R. Rahman's popular rap hits which was released with a one-take music video on the composer's 50th birthday | |
| Desi Kalakaar – Lady Kash | Remix/Rework | Tamil/Hindi/English | Yo Yo Honey Singh | Lady Kash, Yo Yo Honey Singh | Yo Yo Honey Singh | DJ AKS | Yo Yo Honey Singh | Reaks Records - Dubai, UAE | Reaks Records - Dubai, UAE | Digital Download | AKASHIK | 26 October 2014 | Collaboration with DJ AKS; winner of World Top DJs Awards | |
| This Is Love – Lady Kash, Krissy | Remix/Rework | Tamil/English | will.i.am, Eva Simons | Lady Kash, Krissy, William Adams, Eva Simons, Steve Angello, Mike Hamilton, Sebastian Ingross, Max Martin | will.i.am, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso | Charles Bosco | - | Bosco Studios - London, United Kingdom | Jemi Sitanayah - Indonesia | Digital Download | Independent Release | 7 August 2013 | Desi rework produced in London, United Kingdom | |
| Replay – Lady Kash | Remix/Rework | English | Iyaz | Lady Kash, J.R. Rotem, Jason Derulo, Sean Kingston, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Keidran Jones | J.R. Rotem | Edward Sanders | Iyaz | Edward Sanders - Los Angeles, USA | Edward Sanders - Los Angeles, USA | Digital Download | Independent Release | 14 February 2013 | Valentine's Day edition |
| Record | Category | Track Language | Original Artiste | Lyrics | Music Composer | Additional Vocals | Mix | Master | Format | Label | Release | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adiye | Collaboration | Tamil/English | Lady Kash, Abhay Jodhpurkar | Lady Kash, Jeffrey Jonathan | Jeffrey Jonathan | A R Raihanah, Aishwarya R Dhanush, Shalini Singh & Various Artistes | Vinod Verma - Mumbai, India | Vinod Verma - Mumbai, India | Digital Download | Sony Music South | 12 November 2015 | Music video filmed in India | |
| Kuppai | Collaboration | Tamil/English | Rahul Nambiar, Lady Kash, Krissy | Lady Kash, Rahul Nambiar, Naveen Madhav, Krissy | Rahul Nambiar | PDMS - Mumbai, India | PDMS - Mumbai, India | Digital Download | Channel 7 | 3 November 2014 | Music video filmed in India | ||
| Sirithu | Collaboration | Tamil/English | Sarangan, Lady Kash, Krissy | Lady Kash, Pa. Vijay, Krissy, Sarangan | Sarangan Sriranganathan | Multi Facet International - Sydney, Australia | Multi Facet International - Sydney, Australia | Digital Download | Sarangan Music | 16 August 2013 | Music video filmed in Australia | ||
| Hey Penney | Collaboration | Tamil/English | JMal, Lady Kash, Krissy | Lady Kash, Yuwaji, Krissy | Damian Mikhail | Shugar Studios - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | Shugar Studios - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | Digital Download | Continental Records | 28 July 2013 | Music video filmed in Malaysia | ||
| Without Your Love | Collaboration | English | Lady Kash, Mez Mariyé, Krissy | Lady Kash, Mez Mariyé, Krissy | Metrognome | TR Krishna Chetan - Chennai, India | TR Krishna Chetan - Chennai, India | Digital Download | Independent Release | 7 May 2013 | Music video filmed in Singapore |