He may have shot to fame as a name to watch in Delhi’s underground rap scene, but Karun Kohli—who performs under only his first name—often positions himself as a pop artist. This is probably because Karun knows and loves a great hook; they’re a characteristic feature of the rapper-singer’s repertoire, as are lyrical verses in which he muses about love and life, and a penchant for collaboration as evidenced in his feature-heavy output. A prolific artist who began writing poetry at 11, Karun graduated with a law degree but realized he wanted to be a musician during his third year of college. Trading the bar for bars proved to be the right decision: He first grabbed attention in the desi hip-hop scene as part of erstwhile capital-based trio Teesri Duniya in 2017 and has steadily built a dedicated following via his acclaimed 2020 album Granth and its chart-breaking 2022 follow-up Qabool Hai which houses his signature hit, the melancholy yet melodic “Maharani”.

Chehre / This December.