KOAD

KOAD has one goal as an artist: “I want to make men cry and women dance.” The 23-year-old rapper, producer, and director from the San Fernando Valley is redefining Indian-American artistry with his debut album TREEHOUSE. Born Ajay Dodani to Indian immigrant parents, KOAD blends Bollywood nostalgia, hip-hop, and pop into something unmistakably his own. Teaching himself to produce at 13 and leaving school at 14 to pursue music full-time, he transformed his family garage into a studio with his brother and manager, Amit. His breakout single “Deepika” — a cheeky love letter to Bollywood icon Deepika Padukone — earned co-signs from SZA, Isaiah Rashad, Zane Lowe, and the actress herself. He followed with “dirty,” a sharp satire on cultural fetishization that amassed over 25M views and marked his directorial debut. Now signed to 10K Projects, KOAD is also the co-founder of KOGO, an artist community home to prolific originals including Asha Imuno, Curtis Waters, REHMA, CONNIE, Nafeesisboujee & more. With TREEHOUSE, he fuses vulnerability, swagger, and imagination into a world built for people to feel, dance, and belong.