Raja Kumari’s ‘Gyaara’ Features Final Voice Note From Sidhu Moose Wala
Mumbai — Grammy-nominated Indian-American artist Raja Kumari’s new song “Gyaara” features what she says is the final voice note she received from late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.
The song is part of her upcoming album, “Zindabad: The Dekade,” and marks Kumari’s first Punjabi-language track.
In the voice note included in the song, Moose Wala can be heard encouraging Kumari after listening to her music, telling her he liked the track and believed it would be a “blast” before adding, “Don’t worry about it, we’ll do it.”
Kumari said the message took on deeper meaning after Moose Wala’s death and eventually became part of “Gyaara.”
“Sidhu’s passing was a much bigger moment in my life than people may have understood from the outside,” Kumari said.
“He came into my life at a time when I really needed someone to remind me of my own value, and the respect he showed me stayed with me. After he passed, I started questioning a lot of things, the people I allowed around me, the structures I was part of, the kind of artist I wanted to become and the kind of life I wanted to build. ‘Gyaara’ comes from that space.”
Co-written with Gagan Kooner, the song explores ambition, grief, hard work, solitude, sacrifice and the faith required to pursue a career in music.
“It’s about grief, but it’s also about what you do with that grief and how you keep moving forward,” Kumari said. “His voice in the song is a reminder of a conversation that ended, but whose impact never really did.”
“Zindabad: The Dekade” is Kumari’s sixth album and marks 10 years of her career as an artist. The project was recorded over an intensive 30-day period and includes 12 songs, along with a 12-act visual album, live performances and documentary storytelling.
The album spans English, Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil and Spanish, reflecting the range of cultures and musical influences that have shaped Kumari’s career.
Kumari said performing “Gyaara” alongside “US,” a song she previously created with Moose Wala, has been particularly emotional.
“‘US’ is something Sidhu and I actually created together, while ‘Gyaara’ represents everything that continued inside me after his voice note, the things I learned from knowing him, the decisions I made after losing him and the dream of eventually making music in Punjabi,” she said.
Kumari added that she wanted the performances to remain centered on Moose Wala and his fans.
“I’m taking these two songs to the people who loved him, and I hope the music allows them to feel connected to him in the way that I still do,” she said. (Source: IANS)
