Indian rapper and singer Hanumankind commanded the Coachella stage with his raw, intense, and zesty performance. Proudly carrying his Kerala roots to an international stage, the rapper fired up the crowd with a traditional percussion, a chenda melam ensemble. This trailblazer also performed his biggest hits, like ‘Big Dawgs,’ ‘Run it up,’ and ‘Go to sleep,’ for his debut at Coachella 2025, an American music festival in California. He concluded his performance, stating, “It’s an honour to perform for every single f****ng one of you. You guys have been an incredible audience. Till next time, all right.”
Videos of his Coachella performance are going viral across social media now. The rapper's clips from Coachella show a huge turnout of Indians at the festival. On his Instagram handle, he posted, “@coachella thank you for having me.” He also posted a clip of him performing with American rapper Maxo Kream, where he wrote, “Blessed to have my brother @maxokream, pull up with us, much love fam.” Hanumankind is the latest Indian artist to perform there after Punjabi stars like Diljit Dosanj and A P Dhillon.
Hanumankind's
meteoric rise
Hanumankind, aka Sooraj Cherukat,
became a global sensation after the release of his track ‘Big Dawgs.’ Released in July 2024, penned and performed by Hanumankind, it has amassed over 110 million views on YouTube worldwide and 197 million streams on Spotify. The track made it to Spotify's Global Top 50 also. This track not only topped globally but also briefly outpaced Kendrick Lamar's diss track ‘Not like Us’. The song’s popularity on TikTok, with over 1.4 million Reels, further amplified its reach.
What is Coachella?
Coachella, officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as the Coachella Festival, is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It was co-founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen in 1999 and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Presents. The event features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop, and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. Across the grounds, several stages continuously host live
music.
Hanumankind's career path
2017: He gained initial recognition by winning the Mic Drop Tournament.
2019: Began his professional rapping career by performing at NH7 Weekender and released his debut EP (Extended Play), Kalari, which included the single ‘Daily Dose.’
2024: He released the single ‘Big Dawgs’ in collaboration with Kalmi, an Indian music producer and DJ, and the track quickly captured a global audience. His song ‘The Last Dance’ was featured on Malayalam movie Aavesham's soundtrack, and he debuted as an actor as well in the movie ‘Rifle Club.'