Nepal’s new prime minister made his first address — in a rap song
Before Nepal’s incoming prime minister took his oath, he returned to a familiar stage — the microphone.
Balendra Shah, better known as Balen, released a rap track hours after being sworn in as a lawmaker and a day before he is set to become Nepal’s next prime minister, using music to deliver his first message after a landslide election victory.
“The strength of unity is my national power,” he raps in the song, urging a fractured nation to come together. “Undivided Nepali, this time, history is being made.”
The track, titled Jai Mahakali, blends campaign footage with nationalist imagery, echoing themes that propelled his rise from Kathmandu mayor to national leader. Originally recorded more than a decade ago and remastered for release, the song leans heavily on calls for unity and renewal at a time of political upheaval.
“My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise,” Shah declares in another verse. “May my breath not run out, I will run like a leopard.”
The release marks Shah’s first public statement since his Rastriya Swatantra Party secured a sweeping victory in the March 5 election, the first since a deadly youth-led uprising in September 2025 toppled the previous government. At least 77 people were killed in protests initially triggered by a brief social media ban but fuelled by deeper anger over corruption and economic hardship.
At 35, Shah has emerged as a symbol of youth-driven political change in the Himalayan republic, maintaining the persona that first built his following: a sharply dressed rapper in dark sunglasses whose appeal cuts across a generation disillusioned with traditional politics.
The timing of the release appears deliberate. Endorsed as parliamentary party leader only hours earlier, Shah used the track to signal that his political identity will remain intertwined with his artistic roots — and that music will continue to be part of how he communicates with the public.
Sources close to him say two more songs are expected in the coming weeks, suggesting that even as he assumes the country’s highest office, he intends to keep speaking through rhythm as much as policy.
Outgoing interim prime minister Sushila Karki welcomed the transition, saying Nepal’s future lay with a younger generation that could “end corruption… [and] create jobs… [and deliver] economic development and social justice.”
For Shah, the message is already set — not from a podium, but from a verse.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
