Indian-origin singer, songwriter, and rapper Raja Kumari has won an American Music Award (AMA), becoming the first musician of Indian descent to receive the honor. The award ceremony took place in Los Angeles on Monday night, where Kumari was nominated in the Favourite Soundtrack category at the 51st AMA for her work on Arcane League of Legends: Season 2.
Kumari’s nominated track, “Renegade (We Never Run),” is a collaboration with UK hip-hop artist Stefflon Don and Dominican-Brazilian musician Jarina de Marco. The song features in the animated series Arcane, which is based on the popular video game League of Legends.
In an earlier interview with PTI, Kumari said she was proud to be the first artist of Indian origin nominated for an AMA. She described the song as deeply meaningful to her.
“Stefflon and I share a connection through Sidhu Moose Wala,” Kumari said. “She has a song with him, and during my collaboration with Sidhu, he once played her track for me. I’ve always felt a soft spot for her because of that bond. We both respected Sidhu as this gentle giant.”
Kumari also shared how she became involved in the Arcane project. “They approached me because one of the characters is Indian,” she explained. “The creators had heard about my work and felt I could represent the culture while delivering powerful, aggressive music as a woman.”
The rapper admitted she did not expect the song to gain such popularity. “It actually made it to the top 10 on Spotify’s ‘Viral 50’ global chart. I had just recorded a track for a film and didn’t expect much from it, but it ended up connecting with many people,” she said.
Reflecting on the recognition, Kumari said the nomination came at a time when she was reconsidering her career approach. “I had started thinking that maybe I needed to focus on just one genre to succeed,” she said. “But winning an AMA is a strong reminder that being a global artist still matters. There’s still more I want to do and more people I want to reach.”
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