From Delhi Roots To Los Angeles Studios: The Rise Of Jetley

In December 2024, Jetley stepped onto the stage at Whiskey Samba in Gurgaon for his first headline show in India. After years of performing across smaller venues in Delhi while steadily building his fanbase and catalog, the moment felt earned. The crowd sang back verses that had traveled from Los Angeles studios to Delhi playlists, reflecting an audience that has steadily grown across both India and the United States. For Jetley, who was raised in New Delhi and is now based in Los Angeles, the night felt less like a performance and more like a reunion - not just with a city, but with a part of himself.

Seven years into his musical journey, Jetley’s path feels less like a traditional career and more like a bridge between cultures, carrying rhythm, language, and identity across continents. His sound carries traces of everywhere he’s been — from late-night LA sessions to Delhi’s restless pulse —there is a duality and fierce authenticity to his music. “I’m not chasing a sound,” he says, “I’m just trying to make something that feels true to where I’ve been and who I am.”

Jetley’s story began in Minnesota, where he recorded his first EP during his second year of college. Inspired by hip-hop from a young age, he used the freedom and uncertainty of living in a new country to fuel his creative ambition. Since then, he has independently built a growing catalog, earning coverage and recognition from publications including Rolling Stone India and The Minnesota Daily, while amassing more than 100,000 streams across platforms. His music has steadily reached listeners across North America and South Asia, reflecting the growing global reach of independent diaspora artists.

From songwriting and creative direction to collaborating with producers and developing visuals, Jetley has remained deeply involved in every aspect of his artistry. Along the way, he has worked with artists and producers from both the Indian and American hip-hop scenes, helping shape a sound that feels globally informed while remaining deeply personal.

His collaborations extend beyond borders. Working with producers like Diego Ave, whose credits include Kanye West and Post Malone, and Kinfolk Jon, known for collaborations with Lil Uzi Vert, Larry June, and Lil Xan, Jetley has stepped into a creative network that spans genres, cities, and cultures. He has also collaborated with Jay Prince, a staple within the Sri Lankan music scene known for bridging sounds across South Asian diasporas and international audiences. These collaborations have further refined a sound rooted equally in his Indian upbringing and his experiences abroad.

But his recent Delhi headline show carried a different kind of meaning. Sharing the stage with rising artists like Nuto, and Dhrift, Jetley transformed the night into more than just a concert - it became a moment of connection between scenes, audiences, and artistic perspectives.

After years of steady growth, Jetley’s journey stands as a reminder that music can cross borders without losing its identity. “No matter how far I go, my connection to this city and the way it shaped me will always stay with me,” he reflects. “I might’ve left Delhi, but Delhi never left me.”

That sense of movement, identity, and ambition is expected to take center stage on The Great Escape, Jetley’s upcoming EP set to release this summer, a project shaped by distance, reinvention, and the experience of building a life between cultures.

What began as a childhood obsession and later evolved into a college experiment has now grown into something much larger - a growing artistic presence connecting audiences across borders through music, identity, and shared experience.