Introduction
Lady Kash is an award-winning rapper/songwriter from Singapore who started her solo career professionally in 2007. Rapping fluently in English and Tamil, Lady Kash has worked with several notable music composers including A. R. Rahman, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Anirudh Ravichander and more. She launched her own company/label AKASHIK in 2013 and continues to beat out independent hip-hop music and videos, alongside working on film soundtracks occasionally. She has performed in various concerts around the globe including Switzerland, UK, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai and India.
History
Kalaivani Nagaraj also known as Lady Kash was born to Tamil parents in Singapore. In school, she excelled in Languages and Arts.
Career
Lady Kash began her journey in the music/entertainment industry professionally in 2007.
She has worked with several notable music composers including the Oscar and Grammy Winning A. R. Rahman, Anirudh Ravichander, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Santhosh Narayanan and Harris Jayaraj to name some. In 2010, she wrote and recorded with A. R. Rahman in the debut soundtrack "Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam" for the blockbuster movie Enthiran starring superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. The song went on to become the first Tamil soundtrack album to enter and top iTunes US/UK Charts.
In the anthem for World Classical Tamil Conference 2010, "Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam", she became the youngest and the only female rapper to record for what became the modern-day anthem of the Tamizh language.
The original version of "Oh Penne" by Lady Kash and Anirudh Ravichander which has over 3 million views to date, was originally intended for the film Vanakkam Chennai but was not able to be recorded on time for the soundtrack album, due to schedule. It was hence released as a bonus on YouTube on 17 October 2013 by her label AKASHIK in association with Sony Music India.
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.
July 2016 saw two prominent 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 amassing over 1 million views in two weeks was released on 14 July. The track was powered by AKASHIK in conjunction with Think Music India.
On A. R. Rahman's 50th Birthday in 2017, Lady Kash released a one take video for a medley titled "Rap Smash" which featured popular rap hits from the composer. She also released a rework of Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow" in support of the #MeToo movement. Currently focusing on original music, the rapper has been putting out singles which includes "I Told You So" in February 2018 and "Villupaattu" on 29 March which is also her birthday. The song was dedicated to the elderly dancer Poongani and Lady Kash went to see her.
Awards
In conjunction with International Women's Day 2013, an organization named Raindrops recognized women achievers across genres and Lady Kash was bestowed the International Female Rapper (Tamil & English) Award. She also received the Social Media Music Champion award at Voice International Music Awards (VIMA) 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia earlier in 2013. Kash has also been awarded the Best Genre-Bender award at VIMA 2014 for her track with Anirudh Ravichander, "Oh Penne".
Performances
She has performed in various concerts around the globe including Switzerland, Canada, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai and India. 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. Her more recent performances include "Rap War" at A. R. Rahman's Nenje Ezhu concert tour series (Chennai, Coimbatore & Madurai) in 2016, "Rap War 2.0" at A. R. Rahman Live in Dubai 2017 and Canada's desiFEST 2017. She also performed twice with Anirudh Ravichander during his first concert in Singapore in 2014 and the 2016 edition. Known to support charity concerts, Lady Kash has always actively participated in social causes and believes in giving back.
Duo (Disbanded)
In 2008, she had established the rapper-singer duo Lady Kash and Krissy who went on to debut alongsideIn late 2012, Lady Kash returned to being a solo act and disbanded the duo on mutual terms.
Selected Discography
Originals
| 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 |
Soundtracks & Projects
| Record | Category | Movie | Track Language | co-Singer(s) | Lyrics | Music Composer | Label | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OMG Daddy | Soundtrack | Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu) | Telugu/English | Rahul Sipligunj, Roll Rida, Blaaze, Rahul Nambiar | Krishna Chaitanya | S. Thaman | Aditya Music | 21 November 2019 | |
| Enga Kayila Natta Kudunga | Soundtrack | Adutha Saattai (Tamil) | Tamil | Chellankuppam Subramaniyan | Yugabharathi | Justin Prabhakaran | Muzik247 | 7 August 2019 | |
| Kalla Kalavaani (Tamil) | Soundtrack | Chekka Chivantha Vaanam | Tamil/English | Shakthisree Gopalan | Vairamuthu and Lady Kash (Tamil) | A. R. Rahman | Sony Music | 5 September 2018 | |
| Supermodel | Soundtrack | Graghanam (Tamil) | Tamil/English | Lady Kash | Sundaramurthy K.S. | U1 Records | 2 May 2017 | - | |
| MissionTo Sydney | Soundtrack | Si3 (Tamil) | Tamil/English | Lady Kash, Hari | Harris Jayaraj | ErosMusic | 27November 2016 | - | |
| KaatrilAeri | Soundtrack | Parandhu Sella Va (Tamil) | Tamil/English | Joshua Sridhar | Na.Muthukumar, Lady Kash | JoshuaSridhar | Saregama | 2October 2016 | - |
| NeruppuDa | Soundtrack | Kabali | Tamil | Lady Kash, Arunraja Kamaraj | SanthoshNarayanan | AKASHIK/ Think Music India | 14 July2016 | ExclusiveVersion released by AKASHIK in collaboration with Santhosh Narayanan / Think Music India | |
| Wanna Mash Up | Soundtrack | Highway | English | Suvi Suresh, Krissy | Lady Kash,Krissy | A. R. Rahman | T-Series | 24 January2014 | - |
| Oh Penne | Soundtrack | Vanakkam Chennai | Tamil/English | Anirudh Ravichander | Lady Kash | AnirudhRavhichander | AKASHIK / SonyMusic India | 17 October2013 | OriginalVersion released by AKASHIK in collaboration with Anirudh Ravichander / Sony Music India |
| PickleJar | Soundtrack | Pickles TheMovie (Tamil/English) | Tamil/English | Krissy, MK | Lady Kash,Krissy, MK | TR KrishnaChetan | Tantra | 18 June 2011 | - |
| Hold On | Soundtrack | Pickles TheMovie (Tamil/English) | Tamil/English | Lady Kash | TR KrishnaChetan | Tantra | 18 June 2011 | - | |
| Bul Bul | Soundtrack | Devadas(Kannada) | Kannada/English | Shashank | Lady Kash, V.Nagendra Prasad | Joshua Sridhar | Jhankar Music | 13 May 2011 | - |
| PriyankariRemix | Soundtrack | The Thriller(Malayalam) | Malayalam/English | Benny Dayal, Mamta Mohandas, Krissy | Lady Kash,Hari Narayanan | Dharan Kumar | Manorama Music | 17 November2010 | - |
| Ileana Ileana | Soundtrack | Huduga Hudugi(Kannada) | Kannada/English | Benny Dayal, Rita | Lady Kash,Kaviraj | Joshua Sridhar | Anand Audio | 12 November2010 | - |
| Bathing AtCannes | Soundtrack | Engeyum Kaadhal (Tamil) | Tamil/English | Emcee Jesz, Ranina Reddy, Krissy | Lady Kash,Emcee Jesz | Harris Jayaraj | Sony Music | 8 November2010 | - |
| Gaana Bhajana | Soundtrack | Gaana Bajaana(Kannada) | Kannada/English | Joshua Sridhar, Sayanora Phillip | Lady Kash,Sinchana | Joshua Sridhar | Anand Audio | 29 October2010 | - |
| - | |||||||||
| Irumbile | Soundtrack | Enthiran - TheRobot (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 | - |
Projects
| Record | Category | Track Language | Original Artist | Lyrics | Music Composer | Additional Vocals | Mix | Master | Format | Label | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can YouHear The World | Project | Tamil/English | Bhavatharini,Lady Kash, Various Artistes | LadyKash, Shalini Singh | Bhavatharini | A RRaihanah, Aishwarya R Dhanush, Shalini Singh & Various Artistes | MKumaraguruparan, U1 Records - Chennai, India | MKumaraguruparan, U1 Records - Chennai, India | DigitalDownload | U1Records | 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, SriRascol, ADK, Respective Songwriters | A. R. Rahman | - | PanchattanStudios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | PanchattanStudios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | LivePerformance | A. R. Rahman | 17March 2017 | A. R. RahmanLive in Dubai |
| Rap War | Project | Tamil/English | Lady Kash, Blaaze, ADK | Lady Kash,Blaaze, ADK, Respective Songwriters | A. R. Rahman | - | PanchattanStudios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | PanchattanStudios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | LivePerformance | A. R. Rahman | 16January 2016 | Nenje Ezhu -Concert tour series covering Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for floodreflief efforts & A. R. Rahman Live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| SemmozhiyaanaTamizh 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 | PanchattanStudios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | PanchattanStudios / AM Studios - Chennai, India | DigitalDownload | A. R. Rahman | 15May 2010 | More than 50artistes/musicians of Indian-origin came together for the Anthem of the WorldClassical Tamil Conference 2010 |
Renditions
| Record | Category | Track Language | Original Artiste | Lyrics | Music Composer | Music Production | Additional Vocals | Mix | Master | Format | Label | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BodakYellow – Lady Kash | Remix/Rework | English | Cardi B | LadyKash | JWhiteDidIt | Krishmusic | - | StudioFlyVision - Paris, France | StudioFlyVision - Paris, France | DigitalDownload | AKASHIK | 10December 2017 | Releasedin 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 | DigitalDownload | 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/English | Yo Yo HoneySingh | Lady Kash, YoYo Honey Singh | Yo Yo HoneySingh | DJ AKS | Yo Yo HoneySingh | Reaks Records- Dubai, UAE | Reaks Records- Dubai, UAE | DigitalDownload | AKASHIK | 26 October2014 | Collaborationwith DJ AKS; winner of World Top DJs Awards |
| This Is Love –Lady Kash, Krissy | Remix/Rework | Tamil/English | will.i.am, EvaSimons | Lady Kash,Krissy, William Adams, Eva Simons, Steve Angello, Mike Hamilton, SebastianIngross, Max Martin | will.i.am,Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso | Charles Bosco | - | Bosco Studios- London, United Kingdom | Jemi Sitanayah- Indonesia | DigitalDownload | IndependentRelease | 7 August 2013 | Desi reworkproduced in London, United Kingdom |
| Replay – LadyKash | 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 | DigitalDownload | IndependentRelease | 14 February 2013 | Valentine's Day edition |
Collaboration
| Record | Category | Track Language | Original Artiste | Lyrics | Music Composer | Additional Vocals | Mix | Master | Format | Label | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adiye | Collaboration | Tamil/English | LadyKash, Abhay Jodhpurkar | LadyKash, Jeffrey Jonathan | JeffreyJonathan | A RRaihanah, Aishwarya R Dhanush, Shalini Singh & Various Artistes | VinodVerma - Mumbai, India | VinodVerma - Mumbai, India | DigitalDownload | SonyMusic South | 12November 2015 | Musicvideo 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 | DigitalDownload | Channel 7 | 3 November2014 | Music videofilmed in India | |
| Sirithu | Collaboration | Tamil/English | Sarangan, LadyKash, Krissy | Lady Kash, Pa.Vijay, Krissy, Sarangan | SaranganSriranganathan | Multi FacetInternational - Sydney, Australia | Multi FacetInternational - Sydney, Australia | DigitalDownload | Sarangan Music | 16 August 2013 | Music videofilmed in Australia | |
| Hey Penney | Collaboration | Tamil/English | JMal, LadyKash, Krissy | Lady Kash,Yuwaji, Krissy | Damian Mikhail | Shugar Studios- Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | Shugar Studios- Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | DigitalDownload | ContinentalRecords | 28 July 2013 | Music videofilmed in Malaysia | |
| Without YourLove | Collaboration | English | Lady Kash, MezMariyé, Krissy | Lady Kash, MezMariyé, Krissy | Metrognome | TR KrishnaChetan - Chennai, India | TR KrishnaChetan - Chennai, India | DigitalDownload | IndependentRelease | 7 May 2013 | Music videofilmed in Singapore |