Who is Balen Shah? Rapper-turned-politician takes oath as 47th PM of Nepal

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah popularly know as Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s Prime Minister on Friday (Mar 27), and became the youngest person to hold the position in the country's history ever. His party, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) made the landslide victory in the modern electoral era of Nepal after the youth-led protest toppled the previous government. After the victor, Shah has also became the first leader from the Madheshi community to become the country’s PM.

Balen Shah was born in Naradevi, Kathmandu, on April 27, 1990. He is the youngest son of Ram Narayan Shah, an Ayurved practitioner, and Dhruvadevi Shah, a homemaker. During his education days, he was keen on music and poetry from a young age, as a result he turned to rap music. Shah graduated as a structural engineer after enrolling at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, for higher education in India. During his degree, he gained formal training in urban infrastructure, construction systems and planning. Later, he married got married to Sabina Kafle in 2018, and the couple has a 2023-born daughter.

He first gained national attention through music as a socially aware rapper performing under the name “Balen”. His songs frequently addressed issues such as corruption, inequality and systemic political failures. His debut track “Sadak Balak” in 2012, followed by “Aatma,” struck a chord with young audiences and helped establish him as a voice of resistance and change. With its raw and unfiltered style, his music openly criticised governance lapses and channelled public frustration, an image that later boosted his appeal, particularly among urban youth looking for alternatives to conventional leaders.

Shah entered politics in 2022, when he contested the Kathmandu mayoral election as an independent candidate and emerged victorious, defeating nominees from established parties. During his tenure as mayor, he gained a reputation for taking firm action, especially on urban issues like waste management and illegal constructions, though his strict approach also attracted criticism. He was later named among Time magazine’s ‘Top 100 Emerging Leaders of 2023,’ further elevating his profile.

Shah’s ascent to national leadership was shaped by a political opening created by a youth-driven uprising last year. Protests against corruption and ineffective governance escalated into violence, eventually leading to the resignation of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli. The so-called “Gen Z movement” reflected widespread frustration among young Nepalis grappling with unemployment, poor public services, and frequent political instability. Shah became a symbolic figure for this discontented generation without joining it. And at the end, the 35-year-old former Kathmandu mayor was sworn in on Friday after his Rastriya Swatantra Party secured a sweeping victory in the March 5 elections, riding a wave of public anger against corruption, instability, and the entrenched political establishment.