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Make it reign: Rapper King on fame, creativity and living the dream
He’s only 29, but he’s already one of India’s most-streamed hip-hop artists. He’s collabed with Jason Derulo and Jiju Nick Jonas. King’s reign has just begun
Singer-songwriter and rapper King says he is a boring person. “If you ask me what my favourite thing to do is, it’s sitting and doing nothing.”
It’s possibly because, at 29, it’s hard for any chart-busting musician to have that luxury.
The Delhi musician (Arpan Kumar Chandel on official docs) started his YouTube channel in 2013. But it’s only in the last two years that his star has really begun to shine. His song Maan Meri Jaan was the most streamed song of 2023 on Spotify India (There’s even a remix with National Jiju, Nick Jonas). His music style is a genre-bending blend of rap, indie, pop, and hip hop, with elements of Bollywood, desi hip-hop, and Punjabi pop. The wide audience he’s gained means he’s also been actively performing across India and internationally. He last headlined the Monopoly Moves Tour 2024. And this January, he released a new single, Stay. It has about 6.6 million views on YouTube.
He’s tasted success, he wants more of it. “I love doing my shows, seeing all those people, but after that I don’t want to be around anyone,” he says. So, much of his days are about finishing work faster so he can get more time to be alone. “I do enough work to not get in trouble; I’m somewhat of a smooth criminal,” he says. “If I don’t take out the time to think, how will I write well?”
Luckily, Brunch got him to open up. Take a look.
How did you get into rap?
When I was growing up, people were listening to a lot of Akon. A friend of mine told me, “Listen to this, this guy sings a bit weird”. That was probably my introduction to hip-hop. Then, I heard of Eminem and Lil Wayne. And in school, of course, we were listening to Justin Timberlake, artists who were blending hip-hop with orchestral music and stuff. So, I guess I grew up listening to a lot of hip-hop, not rap. I wrote a few verses in 2013. I swear, it was so random. I wrote a track in one day and realised, it’s not half bad, maybe I should keep doing this.
Everyone dreams of doing this full time. When did you realise you actually could?
First, when I got the call from MTV Hustle (a rap and hip-hop reality show) in 2019. Second, when I left the show, I realised that people recognised me. And third, when I got a cheque for the first time from my YouTube channel in 2019. That’s when my ears pricked up and I figured I could maybe make some money from writing songs.
Many rappers and musicians are independent. You’re signed to a label, Warner Music India. Why?
That’s a nice question. Everyone has their own process. Maybe other artists are a lot more active than I am. I’m lazy. If I want to do something well, I’ll take all the help I can get. I can write the songs, I can perform them, but I need them to reach as many people as possible.
How does it feel to be making money?
As kids we don’t have anxiety about making money, about what our friends are doing. But as we grow older, we see people wearing nice shoes, spending what they’ve earned. I’d been following my passion, making music, but not making any money for a while. It caused anxiety. And then I got paid, found myself with money and realised, “Oh, I didn’t have anxiety, after all. I just needed money!” Security is such a good feeling. You know, if someone at home falls sick, you can be there for them. To have that power is a privilege.
What would you consider your single greatest success?
The feeling of owning my own house. My mother doesn’t worry anymore.
And the single biggest risk you’ve taken so far?
I dropped Tum Saath Rehnaa, a love ballad, right after I’d left a rap reality show [MTV Hustle]. I think I broke out of the box before they could put me in it. I’m just happy that fans took to it.
What kind of music do you listen to when you’re alone?
I’m always listening to music, whether I’m alone or with people. I’ll be listening to Mohammed Rafi sahab, and then suddenly switch to Travis Scott. People might find that weird.
What are the best and worst parts about being on tour?
Honestly, the best part is just that I don’t have to pay for stuff sometimes. Like food bills! I want to give a shout-out to the hummus in Mumbai. It’s so good! You just don’t find that quality in Delhi. The worst part is the actual travelling. Put me in a car, put me in a train. I’m all right. I don’t like flights. They’re just something I have to put up with.
What has been your craziest fan encounter?
Every show I go to, I either hear of or see something crazy. There was a boy at a show in Kolkata. He’d been listening to my music for five years, came from another city, and he hugged me and said, “Thank you for saving my life, I would have died”. I had the chance to talk to him, he told me his story, what he’d been through. It was incredibly sad. But he transformed his life. He even got ripped. I saw the ‘before’ picture!
One thing about you that your fans don’t know?
I work up to 18 hours a day sometimes. No one’s putting pressure on me. Its just me and my dreams, and those dreams don’t let me sleep. Sometimes I don’t sleep for three days at a time. There are just so many things to do, so many ways to stay busy, I forget myself. I don’t do much, apart from focusing on music, that’s why I do nothing in my free time.
Who is your biggest competition?
How should I put this into words… I want to be as classy as Elvis Presley, as creative as Kanye West, as good with business as Drake, as good at lyrics as The Weeknd. But I want to be as soulful as Mohammed Rafi.
From HT Brunch, March 15, 2025
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