Bloodywood

Lore & Background

Prior to forming the band, Karan Katiyar regularly uploaded parody metal covers of popular Bollywood songs on YouTube, but he had trouble finding a suitable vocalist. At a local gig, Katiyar met Jayant Bhadula, who worked as a talent manager at an entertainment company, and was impressed by his vocal range and versatility. In 2016, Katiyar quit his job as a corporate lawyer and together with Bhadula formed a two-piece band with the intention of 'destroying pop songs'.

In 2017, Bloodywood re-recorded Linkin Park's song 'Heavy' in Linkin Park's early nu metal style, catching the attention of many music websites such as Loudwire and Metal Hammer. The band made more covers in 2017 and released the compilation cover album Anti-Pop Vol. 1 on their Bandcamp page. In 2018, they released 'Ari Ari', a cover of the Bhangra song 'Ari Ari' by the duo Bombay Rockers, which featured rapper Raoul Kerr. The positive reception from fans encouraged the band to write original material and draw more inspiration from Indian folk music.

Bloodywood's debut studio album, titled Rakshak, was released on 18 February 2022. Lyrically, it tackles social and political topics, such as the track 'Dana-Dan', which discusses rape and sexual assault. On 18 October 2024, it was announced that the band had signed with Fearless Records, followed by the release of the new single 'Nu Delhi' and the confirmation of a 2025 European tour. Bloodywood released their second studio album, Nu Delhi, on 21 March 2025.

Reader's Guide

Bloodywood emerged from a YouTube parody cover project into a full-fledged band that became India's first metal act to chart on Billboard. Their music blends nu metal with Indian folk elements, and their lyrics address social and political issues such as bullying, depression, and sexual assault. The band has also engaged in social work, donating earnings from a European tour to an animal care NGO and providing free online counselling sessions with the release of their song 'Jee Veerey'. Their rise from a two-piece parody act to international touring and chart success marks a significant milestone for Indian metal on the global stage.

Did You Know?

• Bloodywood began as a parody band that uploaded metal covers of pop songs on YouTube.
• In 2024, they signed with Fearless Records and released the single 'Nu Delhi'.

From Parody to Purpose: The Birth of Bloodywood

Before Bloodywood existed as a band, it existed as a YouTube channel. Karan Katiyar, then working as a corporate lawyer in New Delhi, spent his spare time reimagining popular Bollywood tracks as aggressive metal riffs, uploading the results online. The concept was simple and deliberately provocative: take the most mainstream pop and Bhangra hits and smash them through a distortion pedal. But the project stalled when Katiyar couldn't find a vocalist whose range and energy matched his vision. That changed at a local gig where he crossed paths with Jayant Bhadula, a talent manager at an entertainment company whose vocal versatility immediately struck a chord. In 2016, Katiyar walked away from his law career, and the two formed a two-piece outfit with a self-described mission of 'destroying pop songs.' What began as a lighthearted parody act on YouTube gradually evolved into something far more ambitious, setting the stage for Bloodywood to become a recognized force in the global metal scene.

Breaking Through: Covers, Charts, and the World Stage

The band's first major breakthrough came in 2017 when they re-recorded Linkin Park's 'Heavy' in the band's early nu metal style. The cover caught the ear of major metal publications, with Metal Hammer calling it 'what Linkin Park's Heavy should have sounded like' and Loudwire picking it up as well. That year they also released Anti-Pop Vol. 1, a compilation of their metal covers on Bandcamp, and tackled Daler Mehndi's 'Tunak Tunak Tun' with guest vocals from the Brazilian band Bonde do Metaleiro. Momentum built quickly: in 2018 their Bhangra-metal rendition of 'Ari Ari,' featuring rapper Raoul Kerr, gained visibility when Bollywood actress Ileana D'Cruz shared it on social media. By 2019, Bloodywood had been booked to perform at Wacken Open Air in Germany, one of the world's largest heavy metal festivals. Their trajectory continued upward when they became India's first metal act to chart on Billboard, and in 2021 Metal Hammer named them among the '12 new metal bands to watch in 2022.' That same year they placed second for Breakthrough Asian Band at the Global Metal Apocalypse awards, and in October 2024 they signed with Fearless Records, cementing their place on the international stage.

Sound and Substance: A Genre-Blending Identity

Bloodywood's musical identity resists easy categorization. Critics and listeners have tagged their output as nu metal, folk metal, rap metal, and metalcore, and that multiplicity is intentional. The band's early work was rooted in parody—ripping apart pop and Bhangra anthems—but the positive response to tracks like 'Ari Ari,' which traced its lineage back to the Indian folk song 'Baari Barsi,' pushed them toward original composition and deeper engagement with Indian musical traditions. Their debut studio album, Rakshak, released in February 2022, leaned into social and political commentary, with the track 'Dana-Dan' confronting rape and sexual assault head-on. By their second album, Nu Delhi, released in March 2025 under Fearless Records, the band had further broadened their palette, collaborating with Japanese kawaii metal outfit Babymetal on the single 'Bekhauf' and later appearing on Babymetal's own track 'Kon! Kon!' from the album Metal Forth. Their 2026 'System of a Brown' tour across the United States, supported by Ladrones, the Pretty Wild, and Ankor, signaled that their genre-fluid, culturally rooted sound had found a wide and hungry audience.

Angst with a Purpose: Social Advocacy and Giving Back

From their earliest original material, Bloodywood has treated music as a vehicle for social change rather than mere entertainment. In 2018 they partnered with the online counselling platform HopeTherapy to release 'Jee Veerey,' a song explicitly dedicated to combating depression and mental illness, and they distributed pre-paid counselling sessions alongside the video release. The following January, 'Endurant' addressed the experience of bullying, and their 2022 album Rakshak carried tracks like 'Dana-Dan' that confronted sexual violence. Rapper and permanent member Raoul Kerr summed up the band's philosophy in a 2023 interview, saying their goal was 'to channel their angst for the right causes and make people want to do something about them.' Their generosity extended beyond lyrics: after returning to India from their 2019 European tour, the band donated their earnings to the Posh Foundation, a local NGO caring for homeless animals, specifically to fund the purchase of a new ambulance. This blend of pointed songwriting and tangible charitable action has become a defining thread running through Bloodywood's career.