Nepali rapper Yodda has returned home after spending 16 years in the United Kingdom, stepping away from a stable career in the British Army to pursue music full-time and contribute more directly to Nepal’s growing hip-hop movement.
The artist, whose real name is Shanam Gurung, is now working from the Lekhnath–Begnas Tal area of Pokhara, where he grew up. For Yodda, the move is more than a personal homecoming. It marks the beginning of an ambitious new chapter centred on music, collaboration and the future of Nepali rap.
Although he built much of his adult life in the UK, Yodda’s musical career has always remained closely connected to Nepal. His audience, producers, videographers, brand opportunities and fellow musicians are largely based here.
That distance increasingly made him feel that he was missing important opportunities.
“Music is obviously the main reason” for returning, Yodda told The Kathmandu Post, explaining that being in Nepal allows him to work more closely with the people who have supported and shaped his career.
A Return to Pokhara and to a Country He Wants to Rediscover
Yodda grew up around Lekhnath and Begnas Tal but says he has seen surprisingly little of Nepal as an adult.
Messages from listeners across the country made him realize how disconnected he sometimes felt from the places where his songs were being heard. Now, he wants to meet those listeners, understand their communities and experience more of Nepal himself.
That desire could also shape his future music. Living closer to his audience and travelling through the country may give him new stories, sounds and experiences to draw from.
His return therefore carries both emotional and creative significance: he is reconnecting with home while repositioning himself inside the music industry that has become his primary focus.
Leaving Stability for Music
One of the most striking elements of Yodda’s decision is the career he chose to leave behind. The rapper has spoken openly about stepping away from a stable position in the British Army, an opportunity many Nepalis consider highly desirable to dedicate himself fully to music.
It is a high-risk move, but Yodda appears to be embracing that uncertainty as part of his story.
On Instagram, he wrote that he had come to Nepal with “a plan and a purpose” and had sacrificed significantly to reach this point. The message reflected the determined tone also heard in his new release, “Abhiyan.”
Rather than presenting himself as an established star with nothing left to prove, Yodda is framing the new phase as an underdog journey.
‘Abhiyan’ Signals a New Beginning
Yodda’s latest song, “Abhiyan,” serves as the introduction to this chapter. He has described the track as a declaration that he has arrived and that something new is beginning. The song is not simply another release in his catalogue; it functions as a statement of intent following his return to Nepal.
The rapper is also inviting listeners to respond honestly. He says feedback and criticism will help him decide where to take his music next.
That openness suggests Yodda is not returning with a completely fixed formula. Instead, he appears ready to build his next sound in conversation with the audience around him.
His earlier hit “Kharab Bani” remains his biggest digital success, with around 17 million views on YouTube. That reach gives him an established platform, but Yodda acknowledges that expanding beyond his regular listeners will take time.
A Bigger Ambition for Nepali Hip-Hop
Yodda’s plans extend beyond personal fame. He believes Nepali hip-hop has entered an important period, with more artists, styles and fan communities emerging across the scene.
Listeners now debate performers, compare sounds and develop strong preferences signs, in his view, that the genre is becoming culturally significant.
He also believes a Nepali artist could achieve international recognition in the near future.
For Yodda, that breakthrough would represent a major moment for the entire scene, not only the individual artist involved.
However, he argues that Nepal’s music industry still lacks some of the infrastructure needed to help artists reach wider markets. He has pointed to the absence of nationally recognised music charts and limited Nepali curation on major streaming platforms.
Without reliable charts and locally organised streaming categories, artists have fewer ways to demonstrate their performance within Nepal to international industry professionals.
Calling for Greater Recognition of Rap
Yodda has also called for hip-hop to receive its own category at national music award ceremonies.
He sees awards as meaningful sources of encouragement for artists, but believes rap has developed enough in Nepal to deserve a distinct platform and identity.
The argument reflects a wider conversation around Nepali hip-hop. Once treated largely as an underground or youth subculture, the genre now commands millions of online views, fills live venues and influences mainstream music and language.
Yodda’s own career illustrates that transformation. From developing his music while based abroad to selling out a Kathmandu club and returning home to work full-time, his journey has unfolded alongside the expansion of Nepali rap itself.
More Than a Homecoming
Yodda’s return is not simply the story of an artist coming back to Nepal after years overseas.
It is the story of someone exchanging security for creative uncertainty, reconnecting with the country that built his audience and betting on the future of Nepali music.
Whether “Abhiyan” becomes his next major commercial hit remains to be seen. What is already clear is that Yodda wants this chapter to be larger than one song.
He has returned with the intention of becoming more consistent, more connected and more influential within Nepali hip-hop.
After 16 years away, his new campaign has begun at home.
WATCH HERE, His latest release, “Abhiyan,” represents the beginning of this new journey.
