Lady Kash

Lady Kash (born as Kalaivani Nagaraj, in 1990) is a Singaporean-Tamil rapper and songwriter.^[1] She founded the independent record label AKASHIK in 2013. ^[2] In 2018, she collaborated with Poongani Amma to release the bilingual hip-hop song "Villupaattu,"^[3] which featured Villu Paatu (a type of storytelling through music).^[4]^[5]

Born

Kalaivani Nagaraj

March 30, 1990 (age 35)

Singapore

OriginThanjavur, India

GenresHip-hop, rap, film soundtrack

OccupationsRapper, songwriter, record executive, creative entrepreneur

Quick facts Born, Origin ...

Lady Kash
Born	Kalaivani Nagaraj (1990-03-30) March 30, 1990 (age 35) Singapore
Origin	Thanjavur, India
Genres	Hip-hop, rap, film soundtrack
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, record executive, creative entrepreneur
Years active	2007–present
Label	AKASHIK

Website	ladykashonline.com

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Kash has worked with several established Indian film composers, including A. R. Rahman, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Anirudh Ravichander, Santhosh Narayanan, Harris Jayaraj, and Thaman S.^[6]

Early life and education

Kalaivani Nagaraj was born in Singapore and later moved to Thanjavur, India, as a teenager to pursue her studies. She began her career as a rapper and songwriter in 2007.^[7]

Professional career

In 2010, she co-wrote and recorded "Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam” with A. R. Rahman^[8]. The song was featured in the Indian Tamil-language film Enthiran.^[9]

In January 2014, Kash made her Bollywood debut with the song "Wanna Mash Up?," composed by A. R. Rahman, for the film Highway.^[10]

In July 2016, Kash was featured in "Hai Futsal," the official anthem of Premier Futsal, composed by and featuring A. R. Rahman, Virat Kohli, and Karthik.^[11] That same year, she released her rendition of "Neruppu Da," a song from the film Kabali. The track was released by AKASHIK in conjunction with Think Music India.^[12]

In 2017, Kash released 'Rap Smash,' a medley of A. R. Rahman compositions rearranged as rap tracks, released as a video. She released a rework of Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow" and identified as part of her engagement with the #MeToo movement.^[13] Since then, she has released "I Told You So" in February 2018 and "Villupaattu" on March 29, 2018.^[14]

In 2021, she participated in the Tamil edition of the reality show Survivor, filmed in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and produced by Zee Tamil and Banijay Asia.^[15]

In 2023, her hip-hop single, "Two Cents," was used in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Never Have I Ever.^[16]^[17]

Performance history

Kash has performed internationally in Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai, and India.^[18] During A. R. Rahman's 2014 Infinite Love concert tour, she performed "Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam" alongside him. She also performed "Rap War" during his Nenje Ezhu concert tour series in 2016 (held in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai), and "Rap War 2.0" at A. R. Rahman Live in Dubai in 2017.

In 2017, she performed at desiFEST in Yonge-Dundas Square (now Sankofa Square) and appeared twice with Anirudh Ravichander during his concerts in Singapore in 2014 and 2016.^[19]