A young boy who writes songs on his guitar and plays them while loll­ing about in his living room is encouraged by his mother to record and release his homespun songs. He does. Then, he uploads his music on YouTube and becomes an overnight singing sensation. Well, not overnight. That only happens in the movies. But the metamorphosis of a boy-next-door to a singing celeb­rity in just over two years would be no less dramatic. And this is exactly what hap­pened to him, says 22-year-old Sushant KC.

Interested in singing and song-writing from his child­hood, Sushant, motivated by his mother, released a few songs on YouTube, which eventually led to a 2016 album called “Blue Figments”. A song in the album, “Aama”, caught fire online (it currently has over six million views on YouTube). Sushant then left for Australia for further stud­ies. The year 2017 was quiet as he took time to settle in a for­eign land and he was under­ground the whole time.

It was after he got back to Nepal, when he took up sing­ing and YouTubing again, that his stardom soared. All his releases started becoming instant YouTube hits, most of them crossing the cov­eted “1 million” mark. His songs “Aama”, “Satayera”, “Mayama” and “Muskuray­era” have been trending on social media and has earned him more than 166,000 sub­scribers on YouTube alone.

“I made music just for myself. Never thought it would become so famous,” says Sushant, who is in Nepal till February and has been performing in sold-out shows across the country. “I uploaded a few songs on You­Tube and suddenly, I started getting subscribers by the hundreds and then thousands. Right now, my subscribers are increasing by 1,000 a day.” He beams with pride.

Sushant’s music is heavily influenced by the modern Electronic Dance Music and R&B (rhythm and blues ini­tially but now a mixed genre that combines elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop and electronic). His lyrics are usu­ally based on others’ lives and experiences that he listens to and puts in simple Nepali, which is one reason his songs are so popular among young­sters. Without elaborate and expensive videos needed to support his music, Sushant’s YouTube channel rather has simple lyrics videos that above all highlight his musicality. The time and effort he puts into every creation is another recipe for his success.

Working from a home stu­dio, Sushant writes, arranges, sings and does the mixing and mastering of his own songs, something that otherwise calls for a whole team of profes­sionals. And he is a self-taught musician who learnt to do everything on his own.

“It has basically been trial and error for me so far. I am still learning and after I complete my bachelors [in commerce], I plan to take up music as an academic field,” he says.

Although his musical career has spanned over three years, Sushant is new to the art of performing live and when asked how difficult it is, com­pared to recording in his home studio, he says there is essen­tially no difference. “As I have always been playing guitar and singing, I found the tran­sition to playing live easy,” he says. “I use my guitar and loops for playing live, which I need some getting used to. Otherwise it’s just like singing at home.”

Sushant is flattered that most attendees of his live shows sing along, almost word for word. For him there is no better energy-booster. “Most of my listeners are very young and the follow­ing from my female fans is overwhelming. They recog­nize me even on the streets and public places and come talk to me or to take selfies. This love and support makes me want to continue making music—forever”.