IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE I Arpan Kumar Chandel as anything other than the supremely self-confident young man he is today. As his manager gives me notes on his next album on the sidelines of the GQ photoshoot, Chandel struts his stuff with understated poise, completely at ease in his own skin. Even his chosen moniker-the regal, authoritative "King"-hints at a deep reservoir of self-belief. This is a man who knows what he's worth, and will take nothing less.
And why should he? Since becoming a household name on the first season of rap reality show MTV Hustle in 2019, King has released three well-received albums, broken into Spotify's global charts, bagged a collab with Nick Jonas, and is prepping for a five-country tour, no doubt the first of many. His musican amorphous but delicious khichdi of rap, contemporary pop, and R&B with a '90s Indipop garnish has become inescapable, whether you're on the dance floor or stuck in Mumbai's gridlocked traffic.
But things weren't always this way. Before the regal persona, the hit songs, the sneaker endorsements, the photoshoots, there was just Arpan-a painfully shy young boy with rock star dreams and a burning awareness of the injustice in the way the world worked. The story of Arpan's transformation into King is the sort of thing that pop-star myths are made of.
"When you're poor, the first three things you learn are: This is your mother, this is your father, and these are your financial problems," says Chandel when we sit down for a chat over coffee in the studio's dressing room. Growing up in government quarters in New Delhi's Chanakyapuri, the son of a poorly paid government employee and a housewife, Chandel knows poverty's ability to crush one's spirit firsthand. He remembers having to play with broken hand-me-down toys, the dismissive jeers of more well-to-do peers, the way class circumscribes even the futures you allow yourselves to dream of.
Esta historia es de la edición June - August 2023 de GQ India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June - August 2023 de GQ India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The 30 Best Watches Of 2024
Rounding up the best shapes, materials, complications and sizes from this year's horological novelty treasure chest.
Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...
Last month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveiled The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movieand a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.
The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame
In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.
"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family
The Wedding Singers
Madboy Mink's dynamic duo, Saba Azad and Imaad Shah, redefine festive style.
A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face
As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.
The Fluidity of Cartier
Why Gen Z stars are obsessed with this historic maison.
A Princess with Passion
From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.
DEMNA UNMASKED
He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.