When your name is spoken by both a Grammy and Oscar-winning icon and the President of your nation, something powerful is happening.

On Sunday, 1st June 2025, Lady Kash was nationally highlighted as one of the few Singaporean talents who have collaborated with the legendary A. R. Rahman. In a reflective tribute posted on social media, Singapore President Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam acknowledged Rahman’s influence on the country's multicultural creative scene and named Lady Kash among the Singaporean artists whom he has worked with.

In his official Instagram post, the President wrote:

“ARR has done our own talents good over the years, by giving them valuable exposure – like rapper-songwriter duo Lady Kash and Krissy…”

Established by the trailblazing rapper during her teenage years, Lady Kash and Krissy were the first female Hip-Hop/Pop duo of Tamil-speaking South Asian heritage. Born and raised in Singapore, their creative fusion blended two languages – English-Tamizh – and two styles – rap and melody – positioning them as rare pioneers at a time when Asian women of Indian descent were virtually invisible on the global music stage.

Their mainstream breakout was the fiery debut with A. R. Rahman on “Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam” for the Rajinikanth–Aishwarya Rai sci-fi blockbuster Endhiran (2010), which became the first Tamil album to top the iTunes global charts. Shattering glass ceilings in the U.S. centric genre during the early days of the independent music industry, the dynamic duo were also the only indie act in the historical "Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam" anthem and A. R. Rahman's Reflections which remains his only coffee table book till date. In 2012, Lady Kash disbanded the duo on mutual grounds and resumed her career as a solo artist.

This recognition therefore marks a deeply meaningful moment for Lady Kash, who has spent nearly two decades carving her path as the world’s first English-Tamizh female rapper who is also the only female artist from Singapore to collaborate with A. R. Rahman on multiple projects, from iconic film soundtracks to global concert tours.

“It’s an incredible honour to represent Singapore as the world’s first English-Tamizh female rapper. It’s been 18 years, and yet it feels like I’m only just getting started...”

– Lady Kash, via Instagram

The President’s post, which was also covered in The Straits Times among multiple other global publications, acknowledged how ARR has uplifted Singapore talents like Lady Kash and Krissy, Shabir Sulthan, and Yung Raja, giving them valuable exposure.

Among the works cited was “Wanna Mash Up”, a track by Lady Kash and Krissy, composed by A. R. Rahman for the 2014 Bollywood film Highway.

Media Coverage

• President Tharman's Official Instagram Post

• Straits Times Article – “President Tharman Praises Indian Music Star A.R. Rahman for Helping Singapore Musicians”

• Channel News Asia – President Tharman shares he met singer-composer AR Rahman, praises him for giving Singapore talent 'valuable exposure'

• The Times of India – Singapore President Tharman praises A.R. Rahman for empowering local artists

Content verified to the best of our research. Corrections or contributions? Write to us at pr@akashik.co