Tsumyoki

2018–2019: Early career

Tsumyoki started his career in music in his late teenage years, beginning at age 17. His primary aim was to explore various music genres beyond just rap. He credits his mother and family for supporting him throughout his musical career and considers artists like XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD, Drake, Eminem, Post Malone, Ski Mask the Slump God and Michael Jackson as his role models. During an interview, Tsumyoki shared how he commenced his career with ₹8,000 (equivalent to ₹11,000 or US$130 in 2023), struggling to afford essential technical equipment. He had to depend on his mother as he needed more money to start his musical career with proper equipment. He then performed for her to convince her to pay for his equipment.^[10][11]

Tsumyoki first began pursuing music as a hobby in 11th grade. He discussed the difficulties he encountered when trying to establish himself in the rap scene with the The Navhind Times, recounting instances of waiting outside clubs with a USB flash drive containing his music in the hopes of catching the attention of popular artists. In addition, he notes the lack of widespread backing for indigenous musicians in Goa who crafted their own music, requiring him to work towards gaining visibility.^[12]

2019–2020: Rise to success

Tsumyoki's breakthrough came from his single track release, "White Tee", in 2019. The idea behind the track was a hook, "White Tee, Bish get off”, he had in mind. The music video was mainly shot in Fatorda and other locations, featuring participation from several of his supporters. Tsumyoki further stated in an interview that, "White Tee signifies a mindset, for example, if you're wearing something white, you ought to not get dirty. Similarly, it means you don't need people's negativity affecting your perspective".^[13]

In October 2019, Tsumyoki scheduled the release of the music video for "Save Me" but the project was subsequently postponed. He claims that his stage name "Tsumyoki" was inspired after "waking up on a regular day and looking at himself in the mirror". The Japanese influence was intentional. In the beginning, he harbored reservations about incorporating his stage name but gradually embraced it more as his fame grew. Tsumyoki's music is influenced by American culture and he attempted to bring forth more elements of Indian culture in his work.^[13]

At the age of 18, Tsumyoki started performing at clubs and judged several college events. One of his first two gigs was with DJ Skeletron. Tsumyoki and the latter collaborated in the single track "Go Hard" which was released on 4 August 2019. Following this, a gastropub in Candolim offered him his first show.^[13]

In November 2020, Tsumyoki produced "Ketta", a single by Bongisio, a Merces based music artist. The single was mastered and recorded by 2jaym. Before Tsumyoki embarked on his music career, he lacked any Goan rappers to serve as influences since there were no popular artists in that category during that period. He has collaborated with local music artists, producers and influencers like JD, 2Jaym, Elttwo, ZaDaRapper and ZB Memes.^[14]

2021–present: Way Too Messy, A Message from the Moon and other work

On 4 September 2021, Tsumyoki released his 15-minute maiden EP, Way Too Messy, it included five tracks with themes of cancel culture, ambition and self discovery. The inspiration behind it was when he and Kidd Mange, were invited to the Gully Gang camp, wherein they were involved in making music. The decision to produce the EP was made at that juncture, and it was well-received by the Gully Gang team. Within two days, three songs were finalized, and the remaining two were subsequently incorporated.^[15]

Tsumyoki participated in the 2021 Goa Rap Cypher, where he played a role in both production and performance. Together with nine local artists,^[15] they used this platform to raise awareness about significant challenges such as the Mollem situation affecting the region of Goa.^[12]

In 2022, Tsumyoki released the upbeat single "Pink Blue" featuring Bharg, which became a hit and has amassed 9 million streams on Spotify as of January 2026.^[16]

On 2 June 2023, Tsumyoki released his third studio album, A Message from the Moon, which toggles between the soft pop, afropop, and trap sounds.^[17][16] In the same year, in September, he released the deluxe version of the album which featured four new tracks, featuring Bharg, rappers Calm, Yashraj, and Connor Price, including a remix of "Pink Blue", which featured Price.^[18]

In May 2024, Tsumyoki released the single, "WHAT CAN I SAY". This featured Indian rapper and YouTuber Arpit Bala as the lead single from his EP HOUSEPHULL, which was released the following month.^[19][20]

In 2025, Tsumyoki released the single "DON'T EVEN TEXT", featuring Indian indie singer Gini, which blended his indie rap sound with sleek melodies, and became a hit. He performed the single alongside Gini at the 2025 YouTube Fanfest. Tsumyoki also contributed background vocals for the trailer of the 2025 Hindi film Dhurandhar.^[21][22]

Albums

EPs

Singles and collaborations