Lunch With Sumiko Ep 29: Singapore's Tamil-English rapping hip hop star Yung Raja

5:22 mins

Synopsis: The Straits Times' executive editor Sumiko Tan gets up close with newsmakers over lunch - and a selfie.

In this episode, Sumiko Tan meets hip-hop artist Yung Raja, 25, who is among a handful of entertainers successfully putting Singapore on the global music map with his heady blend of spitfire Tamil-English rap.

The Def Jam South East Asia artist is taking a crack at the American market, the first Singaporean to be promoted globally by parent record label Universal Music Group in 2021.

His unique bilingual flow has served him well in markets like billion-strong India, where his music video for The Dance Song received a global premiere on music channel VH1 in October.

They discuss the following:

1. Hear Yung Raja perform a snippet from The Dance Song (0:25)
2. How he is actually grateful for 2020, and how that helped him grow (2:19)
3. Advice for youth who want to become entertainers in Singapore (3:36)
4. Why having just talent, is not enough to make it in entertainment (3:57)

Read Sumiko Tan's full stories here: https://str.sg/Jbhe

Lunch With Sumiko videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMxKjtqO2S0aLKGY2BeGhny

Produced by: Sumiko Tan and ST Video team

Edited by: ST Video team and Penelope Lee

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