Svetha Rao toured India as a classical dancer and penned songs for Fall Out Boy before famed rapper Nas signed her to Mass Appeal India. Raised by Telugu parents in California, the Grammy-nominated lyricist charts her own path to transcend borders. In the video for “Bindis and Bangles”, she transforms into a cyberpunk apsara spirit. On “City Slums”, she trades bars with DIVINE about diasporic identity and her drive to defy cultural barriers. Her soulful voice is matched by her gift for stacking punchlines and blending sartorial style with Indian iconography.