Coachella 2025: Hanumankind of Big Dawgs fame brings chenda drummers for first full set in the US

Indian hip-hop sensation Hanumankind whose song Big Dawgs went viral on TikTok with 150 million views, and over 2,000,000 searches on Shazam, recently took over the Mojave stage at Coachella.

The hip hop artist whose real name is Sooraj Cherukat showed up to his performance at the desert music festival with a group of chenda musicians.

Hanumankind impresses with Coachella debut; performs amid fever

For his Coachella performance Hanumankind collaborated with Kochuveetil Beats, a traditional percussion band from his home state of Kerala. The chenda is a cylindrical drum from Kerala that's been part of the region's cultural celebrations for centuries.

The drumming ensemble, clad in traditional white attire, joined him for his performance of “Run It Up.” He was also backed by drummer Sange Wangchuk and guitarist Krishna M. Sujith as he debuted a powerful new track and also revealed that it was his first full set in the U.S.

Despite battling a fever, he managed to power through his set, admitting, “That fever’s hitting me hard.” He performed a number of hits including “Go To Sleep” and “Rush Hour,” and invited Houston's Maxo Kream for an unreleased collaboration. At another moment, he expressed, “I couldn’t come this far and not bring you a gift from India.” The visuals and stage design, inspired by The Art of War and his roots, were created by New Delhi artist Aaquib Wani. He concluded his performance with gratitude, stating, “It’s an honor to perform for every single f****ng one of you. You guys have been an incredible audience, till next time all right.”

In the last few years, quite a few Indian and South Asian artists have performed at Coachella which is one of the world's largest music festivals. In 2023, Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani-American pop artist Ali Sethi took the stage, while the previous year featured R&B/pop artist Sid Sriram and Punjabi-Canadian sensation AP Dhillon were a part of the line-up. 

Alongside Hanumankind, the electronic group Indo Warehouse is also set to perform across the festival's two weekends, showcasing dance, dhol drummers, and collaborations during their set. Hanumankind is set to return for a second performance on April 19, 2025.