How Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s music became a political movement

Jyoti Shrestha, a Nepal–India-based ocular creator and photographer, archetypal came crossed Nepal’s existent Prime Minister, Balendra Shah — sworn successful this March — during his earlier beingness arsenic a rapper known arsenic Balen, done Raw Barz, a YouTube rap conflict level that gained traction successful the aboriginal 2010s. It was besides her instauration to rap battles successful Nepal. “I was struck by however galore emerging rappers the state had astatine the time. He was not wide known then, but his visibility grew steadily aft Raw Barz arsenic helium began releasing euphony focussed connected corruption and nationalist commentary, themes that resonated profoundly with frustrated youth,” she says.

The video, which has amassed astir 15 cardinal views connected YouTube is unsmooth by existent standards, but its unfiltered prime feels existent to the format. Dressed successful a achromatic garment and achromatic waistcoat, Balendra performs successful Raw Barz’s signature open, public-facing cypher spaces, with unrecorded crowds gathered around. Even then, his benignant is restrained, controlled, and astir speech-like, eschewing theatrics successful favour of a transportation that hinted astatine societal vexation earlier it was afloat articulated.

That aforesaid clarity would aboriginal specify his governmental rise. Running arsenic an autarkic campaigner successful the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral elections, helium secured implicit 61,000 votes. The 35-year-old’s run was notably low-budget and digitally driven, relying heavy connected societal media, connection of mouth, and a increasing basal of young voters disillusioned with accepted politics. Eschewing ample rallies and enactment machinery, helium positioned himself arsenic an outsider — an engineer, rapper and national — promising administrative reform, transparency and accountability.

As mayor, his tenure was marked by highly disposable anti-corruption drives and municipality interventions, from clearing amerciable encroachments, often utilizing bulldozers that became emblematic of his governance style, to pushing reforms successful discarded management, nationalist schools and metropolis infrastructure. “His usage of bulldozers to region amerciable structures generated important debate, becoming a awesome of his attack to governance, which is forceful, visible, and hard to ignore,” says Jyoti.

His nationalist representation besides became much defined during this time, she adds, including elements similar his signature sunglasses, which became a recognisable portion of his persona. “He gained further visibility during the Gen Z protests successful 2025, erstwhile his songs circulated widely,” she says.

Public shift

Over time, adjacent successful those aboriginal videos, Balendra’s benignant feels anomalous and much astir a clipped, astir bureaucratic cadence that prioritises clarity implicit cleverness, a transportation that sounds similar helium is addressing a country alternatively than performing for it. By the clip helium released Balidan, astir six years ago, that instinct had hardened into intent with minimal production, nonstop writing, and an unambiguous critique of corruption and systemic failure, astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile Nepal’s post-republic fatigue was becoming much disposable among municipality youth.

For longtime listener Bnesh Shrestha, who has followed his enactment for implicit a decade, that clarity is cardinal to the appeal. “Rhyming and metaphors play a important portion successful a rap song. Balen dai’s songs encapsulate them greatly. He is truly bully with Nepali words and rhyming. Moreover, his poems are worthy reading,” helium says. “Balidan and Nepal Haseko are 2 of my favourites. In the former, helium talks astir the sick doings of governmental parties, portion successful the latter, the rubric says it each — helium wants to spot Nepal and Nepali radical smiling.” He besides points to Aam Nepali Buwa arsenic 1 of Balen’s much affecting songs: “He talks astir an mean Nepali begetter who is doing everything successful his mightiness for the well-being of his family, portion inactive not getting his owed respect.”

Nepal Haseko, which exists successful aggregate iterations but resurfaced powerfully astir 2024–2025, concisely widens his affectional registry with the inclusion of the sarangi and a much expansive ocular connection that moves done Kathmandu, suggesting nostalgia, adjacent tenderness. Yet helium ne'er afloat commits to that softness, returning to commentary earlier the opus tin settle, reinforcing the consciousness that introspection is not his superior instinct. Savage (released astir 2017–2018) sits awkwardly successful this timeline: a darker, much globally coded rap way wherever his travel tightens but his position narrows, leaning connected aggression and acquainted tropes that dilute what makes him distinct.

Nobel Rimal, a Kathmandu-based researcher of integer subcultures and governmental strategist specialising successful online memes, says Balendra was already a well-known fig earlier his 2022 mayoral run, “though his fame was initially rooted successful a precise specific, highly engaged younker subculture”. His governmental engagement, helium notes, began done music. “Sadak Balak (2012) tackled systemic neglect. Like astir artistes, helium understood that civilization drives politics, and done his music, it seems helium has ever viewed his creation arsenic an instrumentality of civilization that, successful turn, affects statecraft,” says Nobel.

In a 2013 post, Nobel adds, Balen wrote: “I combat with pen and paper, weaponise lit and creation to glorify Nepal, representing the aspirations of the Nepali people.”

“Politics, astatine its core, is an workout successful myth-building, and whoever controls taste symbols yet controls the State,” Nobel says. “Rap is bushed and poetry. What created Balen’s occurrence is the wide entreaty of a writer who speaks for the people, combined with decentralised integer networks amplifying these sentiments.”

For him, Balendra’s emergence is emblematic of a generational shift. “The aged governmental constitution astir apt thinks an underground euphony video with expletives, girls and weed is simply a career-ending scandal. But if you grew up successful Nepal arsenic a young person, you grew up with a telephone and the Internet. Nepali younker look astatine accepted leaders — men dressed successful pristine daura suruwals (a accepted Nepali kurta-trouser combination) who person systematically looted the state and stalled improvement for decades — and travel to a wide conclusion. We would overmuch alternatively person the raw, authentic feline from Raw Barz than the sanitised, optimised thief successful a authorities office.”

The people’s leader

And past determination is Jay Mahakaali, re-released connected March 26, conscionable earlier helium was sworn successful arsenic Prime Minister, its video folding run imagery into spiritual symbolism and invoking Mahakali to framework choler arsenic motivation force, astatine a clip erstwhile Nepal had conscionable emerged from the September 2025 youth-led protests that toppled the authorities and near astatine slightest 77 radical dead.

For multi-genre euphony shaper and DJ Foseal, the relation has ever been rooted successful music. “I had the privilege of producing his way Nepal Haseko, which received a fantastic effect from listeners,” helium says. Although their interactions person mostly taken spot successful the studio, Foseal describes Balendra arsenic an attentive and exacting collaborator. “He listens thoughtfully to suggestions and provides meaningful feedback. He’s besides a genuine collaborator, actively engaging not lone successful the music-making process but besides successful the mixing and mastering stages of songwriting.”

Across each of this, his rap benignant remains consistent, rooted successful a refusal of ornamentation, a reliance connected plainspoken Nepali, and a transportation that sits determination betwixt rap and speech. It limits him musically — determination is small improvement successful flow, accumulation remains secondary, and the affectional scope stays constrictive — but it besides gives him thing astir technically stronger rappers lack: rhetorical authority.

Balendra Shah’s euphony moves successful parallel with Nepal’s governmental climate; absorbing frustrations, amplifying them, and yet stepping retired of the framework of euphony altogether to act.