KAYAN

Kayan is a Nepali-American artist whose music lives at the intersection of alternative R&B, pop, electronic textures, and emotionally driven songwriting. Raised between cultures, his sound reflects a duality shaped by heritage and environment—instinctive melody paired with modern, genre-fluid production.

Growing up in a first-generation Nepali household, music was ever-present but rarely Western. Hindi film soundtracks, Bollywood melodies, and traditional Nepali music filled his home, while R&B, pop, and hip-hop became his personal world outside of it. With little early exposure to English-language music, Western sounds represented a parallel identity, one he gravitated toward as a form of self-expression. That contrast continues to inform his work today.

Music is deeply embedded in Nepali culture, and Kayan showed natural aptitude early on. By age four, he was performing dohori—an improvised, melodic exchange built on rhyme, rhythm, and playful verbal sparring—entertaining family with his quick wit and musical intuition. His ability to mimic melodies, replicate sounds, and stay instinctively in rhythm revealed an early grasp of timing, tone, and vocal control.

ARTIST BIO

Despite a lifelong pull toward music, growing up in Omaha, Nebraska made the path feel distant, far removed from traditional industry pipelines. That changed in 2018 when he met producer Roinin at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Reconnecting in 2020, the two discovered a shared vision that quickly evolved from experimentation into professional-grade work, an uncommon trajectory for independent artists building from the Midwest.

In 2022, Kayan and Roinin co-founded Park Ave Records and completed Kayan’s debut album Distance, a deeply personal project marking their first full artistic statement. While the album has been reserved for a later chapter, three tracks, idkwhattocallit, floating, and static *fuzz*, were released as early glimpses into his evolving sound.

In 2025, they expanded their vision further by founding Park Ave Collective, a creative community centered on independence, experimentation, and emotional honesty. Today, Kayan continues to refine a sound that feels both intimate and expansive, rooted in cultural heritage, shaped by discovery, and driven by instinct. His music resists strict categorization, prioritizing feeling and connection, while remaining grounded in melody and rhythm.

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