Loading AI tools
Arpan Kumar Chandel, professionally known as King, is an Indian singer songwriter, rapper and music producer.[1][2][3] Known for his rap tracks and pop songs with lyrics that deal with love and heartbreak, he is known to blend Indian melodies with international influences.[4][5][6]
King | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Arpan Kumar Chandel |
| Born | Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Genres | Rap, Indie, Pop, Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Rapper |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2015-Present |
YouTube information | |
| Channels | King |
| Years active | 2015–Present |
| Subscribers | 6.7 million |
| Total views | 1.9 billion |
Last updated: 25 August 2024 | |
Many of his tracks contains inspiration from 1900s and early 2000s musical dynamics.[7][8] He was among the finalists in MTV Hustle 2019. "Ghumshudaa" (2019), "Tu Aake Dekhle" (2020), "Oops" (2022) and "Maan Meri Jaan" (2022) are some of his best known works.[9][10] "Maan Meri Jaan" became the most streamed song of 2023 on Spotify India, Apple Music India and other music streaming platforms.[11][12]
In 2024, King became the first Indian pop artist to walk on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.[13][14] He featured in the Forbes India 30 Under 30 List of 2024.[15] He is signed on by Warner Music India.[16]
Arpan was born in 1997 in Uttar Pradesh, India.[17] He did his schooling at a government school and later attended New Delhi's Vinay Marg Navyug Secondary School.[18]
For higher studies, he got admission in Dayal Singh College to pursue Bachelor of Arts via the sports quota. During the college, for four years, he played football in the national under-20 team.[19] Despite his good performance in sports, due to the lack of interest in class, he dropped out out of college in order to pursue a career in rapping.[18]
After college, he joined a govt. job and did the job for half a decade. But he was always attracted towards making music and worked towards his dream by making songs while still at his job.[18]
King posted his rap videos on various social media profiles while he was still in school. He started his YouTube channel 'King Rocco' in 2012 and uploaded his first 'Boombass' video in 2015.[citation needed] In an interview with NME, he said that he used to listen to the Backstreet Boys and Vengaboys. While growing up he used to listen to Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Lil Wayne and other artists.[19]
In 2019 he began his professional career by competing in the maiden season of the rap reality show 'MTV Hustle' judged by Raftaar, Raja Kumari and Nucleya. He positioned himself among the top five finalists.[citation needed] In 2020, he released his first album The Carnival. "Tu Aake Dekhle" from it became a sleeper hit. It turned out to be the first big hit track in his career and earned him recognition.[20]
In 2021, he released his second album The Gorilla Bounce. His 2022 album "The Champagne Talk" proved to be the breakthrough album for him. "Oops" and "Maan Meri Jaan" became smash hits.[21] The later became the most streamed song on Spotify India in 2023.[22] He released multiple versions of "Maan Meri Jaan" with artists from different language backgrounds including a Hindi-English version "Afterlife" in collab with Nick Jonas.[23][24]
In an interview with Pinkvilla, he cited that the initial songs of his career were inspired from his own life.[25] He collaborated with many artists including Gucci Mane and Julia Michaels in his 2023 album New Life.[26] "Crown", "Good Trip" and "Sarkaare" received critical acclaim.[27] "Good Trip" was featured on Grammy's Recording Academy.[28][29]
He collaborated with a dozen MCs including MC Stan, Ikka and Raftaar in his 2024 LP Monopoly Moves. With Jason Derulo, he released "Bumpa" in 2024.[30] He was part of the Brut squad at Cannes 2024.[31] He has performed live shows across the country[32][33][34][35][36] and at international venues including UK, USA, Canada, Dubai, Bangladesh, Abu Dhabi and others.[37][38][39][40][41]
| Year | Album | Track | Co-artist(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Circumstances | I'm Back | - | [2] |
| Circumstances | ||||
| Clearly by Now | ||||
| She Know | ||||
| That's My Word | ||||
| Beat | ||||
| Gastronamics | ||||
| Red Dirt State | ||||
| Skit | ||||
| Snitches N Cops | ||||
| The Division | ||||
| 2019 | Mashhoor Chapter 1 | Maahaul | - | [42] |
| Fantasy | ||||
| Umar 73 | ||||
| Akeli Awara Azad | ||||
| Ghumshudaa | ||||
| I Know You | ||||
| Going Bas | ||||
| Outta My Mind | Nateboi | |||
| 2020 | The Carnival | She Don't Give A | - | [43] |
| Thoda Samjha Karo | ||||
| Dracula | ||||
| 90s | ||||
| MAFIIA | ||||
| "TalLet The Eyes Talk | ||||
| IICONIC | ||||
| Tu Aake Dekhle | ||||
| 2021 | The Gorilla Bounce | PICASSO | [44] | |
| BLANKO | ||||
| SALOOT | ||||
| Godfather | ||||
| Casanova | Rahul Sathu | |||
| Desi Dan Bilzerian | - | |||
| Koo Koo | Aesap, Jaz | |||
| Shaamein | Harjas Harjaayi | |||
| Main Bas Kehti Nahi | - | |||
| ERA | ||||
| Tera Hua Na Main Kabhi | HIGHBORN | |||
| 2022 | Champagne Talk | Na Ja Tu | - | [45][46] |
| OOPS | ||||
| Broken Dreams | ||||
| Maan Meri Jaan | ||||
| Dejalo | ||||
| Pablo | ||||
| Champagne Talk | ||||
| Me & Me | ||||
| 2023 | NEW LIFE | Aafat | [47][48] | |
| Runaway | Julia Michaels | |||
| Tu Jaana Na Piya | - | |||
| Good Trip | ||||
| Sarkaare | ||||
| Tum Saath Rehnaa | ||||
| Legends | ||||
| We Are the Ones | Gucci Mane | |||
| High Hukku | Nikhita Gandhi | |||
| No Loss | - | |||
| CROWN | Natania | |||
| Legends (B Side) | - | |||
| 2024 | MONOPOLY MOVES | GOAT SHIT | Karma | [49][50] |
| STILL THE SAME | Abhijay Sharma | |||
| WAY BIGGER | - | |||
| BAWE MAIN CHECK | Raga | |||
| MISFIT | - | |||
| KODAK | Seedhe Maut | |||
| SAZA | MC Heam | |||
| PYAAR HUMARA | - | |||
| F*CK WHAT THEY SAY | MC Stan | |||
| WARCRY | Raftaar | |||
| MASHINEY | Ikka | |||
| SUPREME LEADER | Talha Yunus | |||
| SUITS & STREETS | Yashraj, Gravity | |||
| CAN'T AFFORD | Sikander Kahlon | |||
| TERE HO KE | Bella | |||
| DELULU DANCE | - | |||
| Year | Track | Co-artist(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Boombass | - | [17] |
| 2016 | Zinnda | ||
| 2017 | Hitman | ||
| Promise | |||
| 2018 | Chorus | ||
| Hauley | |||
| Taaliyaan | |||
| 2020 | Jaane De Yaara | Rahul Sathu | [53] |
| 2021 | Ishq Samundar | Arjun Kanungo | [54] |
| Dhoondein Sitare | Aastha Gill | [55] | |
| 2022 | Ilzaam | Arjun Kanungo | [56] |
| OOPS (feat. Masked Wolf) | Masked Wolf | [57] | |
| Naya Nazariya | - | [58] | |
| 2023 | Beqadar Piya | Sunidhi Chauhan, Salim Sulaiman | |
| Maan Meri Jaan (African Version) | Rayvanny | [59] | |
| Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife) | Nick Jonas | [60][61] | |
| Sona Re | - | [62] | |
| 2024 | Rang Barse x Yaaron Wali Baat | Karan Kanchan, Shiv-Hari | [63] |
| Aawara | KSHMR, Zaeden | [64][65] | |
| Bumpa | Jason Derulo | [66][67] | |
| Year | Song | Film | Composer | Lyricist | Co-artist(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sahi Galat | Drishyam 2 | Devi Sri Prasad | Amitabh Bhattacharya | - | [68] |
| 2023 | Mere Sawaal Ka | Shehzada | Pritam | Shloke Lal | [69] | |
| Baap Aa Gaya Hai | Rana Naidu | Karan Kanchan | King, Roll Rida | Roll Rida | [70] | |
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
