Born this way

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Rhea Raj makes music in technicolour, merging bratty beats, sultry vocals and South Asian motifs to define her global pop identity.

- VAISHNAVI NAYEL TALAWADEKAR.

Much like its owner, the floor lamp in Rhea Raj's studio has many moods. On days when she feels exuberant, it glows green; when she's calm, it softens to yellow. But more often than not, it burns in fiery pinks and purples—"because it's the energy I need when composing something sensual or feminine," says the singer-songwriter, who was born in Connecticut to Indian parents. That same kaleidoscopic spirit coloured her debut at Lollapalooza Chicago in August this year, where she surprised fans with a performance of her song 'Haute Couture' alongside Aliyah's Interlude, wearing a bejewelled butterfly-shaped corset and a molten ellipsis bindi that caught the spotlight with every move.