VTEN sells out venues in recent Europe tour

By Mannu Shahi,Born on May 5, 1996, Samir Ghising a.k.a. Vten is the most prominent yet controversial figure of the Nep-Hop fraternity. The rapper debuted in the scene with his 2017’s viral anthem ‘Churot’ which showcased him as a promising talent in the industry but his follow-up releases like ‘Simsime Pani’ and ‘Hami Yestai Ta Honi Bro’ generated intense scrutiny from the society. 

The emcee had to go through various re-precautions post the release of his songs and eventually most of the oeuvre from his early days are censored from his social handles. The viral infamous tunes somehow remain alive in the digital realms (with abundant streams) but posted from other anonymous accounts. 

Being the first-ever artist to have their music banned by the government authorities of Nepal, Vten was featured in the Vice Asia: World News Interview segment for this very issue, where he declares his dismay on the censorship and the tragedy of not being able to reap the fruits of his creative labor

Hailing from Rautahat where the emcee spent most of his childhood to his teenage years, he would help out his dad’s carpentry business by assisting him on the daily nitty-gritties. However, Samir moved to Kathmandu in pursuit of higher education and his infatuation towards art led his exploration of Thangka painting. Living with his maternal uncle, he learned their family trade of Thangka painting and would sustain himself by taking up commission works until his break through in mainstream Nep-hop culture. 

Even when the rapper was fully sure of his creative direction, a lot of work was yet to be done. Penning down his rhymes and rehearsing efficient delivery were just one side of the story; learning to yield his own songs, connecting with other creatives to properly materialize his ideas, creating well-versed marketing strategies and exploring the industry inside out were still some points where the emcee felt short.

Luckily, one thing led to the other, the rapper ended up with a bunch of his friends in a radio show oriented to promote Nep-hop, hosted by popular emcee Girish Khatiwada. After the show, Girish impressed by the bunch, shot a YouTube vlog of the rappers sharing tiny bits of their poetry and posted the video from his personal channel. Vten in the clip sang the verse of his song, ‘Churot’ which blew up on the internet, making him viral within a couple days. 

This experience enabled Vten to establish his own YouTube handle and the aftermath of this is evident in the 2.25 million subscribers supporting his creative endeavors. The rapper is arguably the most followed Nepali musician in the entire YouTube platform. 

And at the present, Vten is busy on his Europe 2024 Tour: performing in seven countries across the continent, catering to the inhabiting Nepali diaspora from these regions. Commencing the tour at Lisboa Ao Vivo, Portugal on February 11; Movida Club Paris, France on February 13; Teatteri Toivo, Finland on February 17; Warsaw, Poland on February 21; Aria Complex, Malta on February 23. The remaining two dates of the tour-leg are scheduled at Notes Live Limassol, Cyprus on March 3 and Ikon Antwerpen, Belgium on March 10. The majority of shows in the series fully sold out the tickets during their preliminary sale phases.