Raj Haldar: Hi, my name is Raj Haldar. My name is also Lushlife. Well, that's my stage name as the rapper and producer Lushlife. Before I was a kids' book author for a decade-plus, and continuing today, I traveled all over the world making records and performing under the name Lushlife, and that name comes from old Billy Strayhorn jazz standard called Lush Life that was famously recorded by Duke Ellington. And I have a background in jazz performance, played drums for many, many years, growing up and also piano. And so my stage name is in homage to my love for jazz.

My real name, Raj, is, you may know, prince in many Indian languages. Comes from the Sanskrit root, and surname is Haldar. A funny story about my first name. Raj is short for Rajesh. My parents left the H off when they signed my birth certificate. So my name is spelled R-A-J-E-S on my government documents. Growing up in northern New Jersey, there are many, many people from Central and South America. And so on the first day of school every year, people would look down at my name and the teacher would always pronounce my name with a soft J, Rajeh, so there you go. Rajesh Haldar.