In a Delhi rap scene known for chest-thumping cyphers, Kinari raps about labour, caste, desire and being a trans woman in Khirki Extension, and she does it with more bite than most of her peers. Here is her story.

Kinari at a glance

Based in: Khirki Extension, New Delhi
Earlier stage name: Finsta
Known as: Delhi's first transgender rapper
Debut EP: Jimmy Vogue (November 2021)
Debut album: Kattar Kinnar (2024)
Also: producer of her own beats

From Finsta to Kinari

She first released music as Finsta, with projects like Jimmy Vogue and Queerbops. Jimmy Vogue drew on her time in the ballroom community in Portland in the US. She later took the name Kinari, the feminine form of the word kinnar, which also gave her debut album its title.

Two lives in one song

By day, Kinari has worked as a language teacher in Khirki Extension. By night, she is one of Indian hip-hop's most exciting new rappers. Her song Baahar is about exactly that split.

Kattar Kinnar

Kinari's debut album was launched at an event in Delhi called Mujrevali Madhuri in March 2024, where internet personality Khushi Shaikh, whose vlogs are sampled across the album, danced on stage. She has said gaana songs, ballroom beats and mujra numbers are her key musical inspirations. The album also weaves in the sound of wedding bands outside her window and cuts from Mari Selvaraj's films.

On the record, she uses slurs and stereotypes aimed at trans people and turns them back on the listener, with double meanings and one-liners that land hard. Rolling Stone India named Kattar Kinnar among the best Indian albums of 2024, praising its dark production and lethal bars.

Animal

In May 2025, Kinari released Animal, her most ambitious track yet. Over a self-produced beat of dhol and samples, she spends six minutes taking on Delhi hip-hop's hypermasculinity, rappers who boast in cyphers but do not back it up, hypernationalism and casteism, while celebrating her trans identity.

On bigger stages

Kinari performed at Spotify's Rap 91 Live in Mumbai alongside Paal Dabba and Dhanda Nyoliwala. Spotify described her as renowned for hard-hitting lyrics and cinematic production.

What Kinari stands for

Kinari has said she is not speaking on behalf of any community, only for herself. She has also said hip-hop can only bring social change if the people listening grow too, and that there are many trans and marginalised artists making great music today who deserve attention.

Kinari: FAQs

Who is Kinari?
A Delhi-based rapper and producer, widely described as Delhi's first transgender rapper.

What was Kinari's earlier stage name?
Finsta.

What is Kinari's debut album?
Kattar Kinnar, released in 2024.

What is the song Animal about?
It takes on hypermasculinity, nationalism and casteism in Delhi hip-hop while celebrating her trans identity.

Where is Kinari from?
She lives and works in Khirki Extension, New Delhi.

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Image: A vinyl record on a turntable. Photo via Wikimedia Commons, used under its free licence.