King (singer)

2018–2020: Career beginnings, MTV Hustle and debut album

King began his professional career in early 2018, dropping his first EP Talismann, which included 7 tracks (as per his ReverbNation release, the EP originally included 6 songs). He released the Mashhoor Chapter 1 in 2019, which included 10 tracks and subsequently, participated in the inaugural season of the rap reality show MTV Hustle, where he was judged by Raftaar, Raja Kumari, and Nucleya. He rose to fame as a finalist on the show in 2019.^[9]

Following MTV Hustle, King released 2 of the lead singles from his subsequent fourth studio album New Life, namely, "Tum Saath Rehnaa" and "No Loss", but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, he couldn't proceed with the album rollout and instead, announced a limited edition mixtape Heartbreak Made Me Do It. It released in April 2020, comprising eight tracks. Over 500 digital copies were sold, and a half of the funds raised by the album sales were donated to the PMCARES fund.^{[citation needed]}

King finally released his debut album, The Carnival, on September 21, 2020. The album featured the sleeper hit "Tu Aake Dekhle", which became his first breakthrough and garnered significant attention, becoming one of his signature tracks and a chart-topping hit.^[10][11]

2021–2023: Maan Meri Jaan, and subsequent projects

He followed this with his second album, The Gorilla Bounce, in 2021.^[12]

In 2022, King made his major-label debut with his Khwabeeda EP, which featured tracks like "Baazi", "Ektarfa", and "Sinner" and was his first release with Warner Music India.^[13] Later that year, he released his album, Champagne Talk which consisted of singles like "Pablo", "Oops" and "Maan Meri Jaan", which went on to become the most streamed song on Spotify, Apple Music, and Shazam in India in 2023.^[14][15] He subsequently released multiple versions of "Maan Meri Jaan" featuring artists from different language backgrounds, including a Hindi-English version titled "Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife)" with Nick Jonas.^[16] "Maan Meri Jaan" was also featured in Spotify’s Top 50 Viral Charts in 2023.^[17] He made his debut in Bollywood with the song "Sahi Galat" from the film Drishyam 2 in 2022.^[18] In the same year, he also appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show, as a guest, alongside rappers Raftaar, Badshah, Raja Kumari and Ikka.^[19]

In April 2023, King partnered with Indian entrepreneur and podcaster Raj Shamani and his company, House of X, to launch his debut perfume brand, Blanko.^[20][21]

In 2023, King released a three-track EP titled Shayad Woh Sune, which included songs such as "Laapata" and "Teri Ho Na Saki".^[22]

2024–present: New Life, collaborations and Cannes debut

Following the EP's release, he launched his long-awaited fourth studio album, New Life, featuring collaborations with international artists, such as Gucci Mane and Julia Michaels.^[23] Tracks such as "Crown", "Good Trip", and "Sarkaare" from the album garnered critical acclaim, with "Good Trip" being featured in the Grammy Recording Academy’s Global Spin series.^[24][25] Additionally, his song "We Are The Ones" was included in the official soundtrack for the video game EA Sports FC 24.^[26] He performed a 9-city tour across India in support of his album New Life. The tour included performances in Bengaluru, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Goa, among other cities.^[27]

In the same year, Sony India appointed King as the brand ambassador for its audio product category.^[28] He was also shortlisted as one of GQ India’s 35 Most Influential Young Indians and performed at the closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League Final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.^[29][30]

In 2024, King released his fifth studio album, Monopoly Moves, featuring collaborations with Indian rappers like MC STΔN, Ikka, Seedhe Maut, Yashraj and Raftaar.^[31] The songs "GOAT SHIT" featuring Karma, "F*CK WHAT THEY SAY" featuring MC STΔN, and "KODAK" featuring Seedhe Maut, garnered significant attention, particularly due to the performance of the featuring artists on the tracks. King also became embroiled in a feud with rapper Emiway Bantai due to his song "F*CK WHAT THEY SAY" containing subtle jabs at the rapper. His comments during his appearance on the podcast Prakhar Ki Pravachan further fueled the beef, prompting Emiway to respond with a track titled, "ROKO 2MG". King further released two tracks exclusively on Instagram, "Mere Pyaare Emiway" and "Hum Teri Lele", and Emiway responded with "Meet the Instagram Yapper" and "Dependent Kauve".^[32]

He also released the single "Bumpa" with Jason Derulo in the same year,^[33] as well as his long-awaited collaboration "Aawara" with American producer KSHMR and Indian singer Zaeden.^[34] King partnered with Red Bull to release "Shining Star," which served as the official anthem for the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final 2024.^[35]

In the same year, King attended the 77th Cannes Film Festival as part of the Brut India delegation, becoming the first Indian pop artist to walk the red carpet at the event.^[36][37] He was later featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in the Entertainment & Sports category.^[38] In April 2024, he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone India as part of their Future of Music ‘24 list.^[39]

In November 2025, he released the single "Kamaal Hai", accompanied by a music video featuring actress Sahher Bambba and veteran actor Lilliput. The track was the first lead single from his upcoming sixth studio album, Raja Hindustani.^[40] In January 2026, he released the track, "Jo Ishq Hua", the second lead single from the album. The music video featured the actress Shriya Pilgaonkar and King himself, amid a palatial setting in Jaipur through the narrative of childhood friends who are about to be wed to each other. At the end of the music video, King announced the release date of February 20, 2026 for the album.^[41][42] The album features guest appearances from veteran Bollywood playback singers, including Sunidhi Chauhan, Kumar Sanu, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan and Rekha Bhardwaj.^[43]

In May 2026, he is set to star in the action-drama web-series Lukkhe, alongside Raashii Khanna, Palak Tiwari, Shivankit Singh Parihar, Yograj Singh and Lakshvir Singh Saran.^[44]

Albums (LPs)

EPs/Mixtapes

Singles and collaborations

MTV Hustle Season 1 songs

King was the first artist in the show MTV Hustle who entered the Top 15 by performing his track "Maahaul".

Soundtracks