October 2025: I would like to bring forward the Awadhi language, instruments, artistry from my region: Anubhav Shukla a.k.a. Panther

From a village in Lakhimpur Kheri to the digital charts of India, Panther has carved a space in hip-hop with honesty, grit, and lyrical precision. Signed to Sony Music India, he blends street consciousness with soul, channelling his roots, rebellion, and reflection into a sound that’s uniquely his own. We had an interaction with him recently for October Digital Cover, here is what he has to say:

Tell us about your collaboration with Sony Music India and your experience so far.

When I came out of MTV Hustle 2, I did a few songs and one EP with Sony Music. That EP did well and now I am exclusively signed with Sony Music. My experience with Sony Music has been great. Sony Music has given me the space to carry forward my creative mindset, at the same time, backing me up as a major label that they are. I think we are going to go forward a very long way.

Watch ‘Makhna’ here:

Break away moment is a cliched term, however, there are two specific milestones, ‘Galat Karam’ and the participation in MTV Hustle 2 in your career build up. How do you see these milestones in your life?

Actually, I am a person that is driven by the process of making art and the result as the artform itself, beyond any milestones. I am an artist, I make songs, and hence, the satisfaction I get from experiencing the final renders of my songs and on the day of release of my songs, is the experience that is most valuable for me. ‘Galat Karam’ and MTV Hustle 2 are definitely special for me, but so are the other songs that I have made, which may have not performed numerically at the same level as that of ‘Galat Karam’.

What does Eat or Get Eaten, a caption on your Instagram profile mean?

Eat or Get Eaten is a metaphor. My name is Panther, and I relate with that animal in many ways. It’s a very peaceful animal, but when it comes to running and hunting, it is a very fierce animal. I relate to this spirit of Panther. In the music industry, entertainment industry and in the world as well, either you eat or your get eaten, this is metaphorical as well as realistic in the real world.

Watch the full interview here:

You are from a village in Lakhimpur Kheri, stayed in Lucknow and now you stay in Noida. From a village to a metropolitan area, how do you keep connected to your roots?

I think this is about upbringing and it is what determines where your soul resides. I stay in Greater Noida where there are villages around me and I keeping being in Lucknow where I have my own home. I haven’t been able to stay much in Mumbai as I find it more metropolitan than to my liking. My soul is built up from my village, and I am still very much connected to my roots as I feel more at home there, as compared to any metropolitan city.

How do socio political issues connect with you?

I like to, not just write but speak about socio political issues on my social media. In the prevalent times, the fear of power and establishment has made people either politically correct or at least sound politically correct. Out of the fear of not offending, people end up fabricating and masking. Where I come from, neither I had much nor do my people in my village have much with them. As a citizen, I feel the need to speak up even when others are not, that’s how I am built possibly.

Stream ‘Saavan’ here:

But do you think, something like what has happened with Dhanda Nyoliwala in Haryana, can happen with you too?

What has happened with Dhanda, is actually to all of us! Although I am not the right authority to say this, but the government of today is not focusing of the things that they need to. Why not make roads in my village than going after an artist’s songs? We are focused on picking up dogs from the streets, banning songs, while the people in my village don’t have much to eat. Haryana, UP and many other states don’t have clean drinking water in the informal settlements. The diversions from the core issues will not help the society overall.

Coming back to music, what comes first you first, lyrics or the composition?

In my case, mostly it is composition and then sometimes it is lyrics. Producers send me samples, the ones that I like end up generating lyrics on their own. I can’t explain how the lyrics flow, possibly that’s some divine intervention.

You have collaborated with Neeti Mohan, Raga, Simran, W.i.S.H, in the recent times. How do collaborations work for you?

As an artist, I have always been focused on not limiting myself with boundaries. The collaboration with Raga Bhai had to happen as it is hip-hop. Collaboration with Neeti Mohan Ji, Simran, W.i.S.H. were out of the urge to do something different. With Simran, we made 6-7 songs in the studio, out of which 2 songs got released. Out of the 2 songs I did with Simran, one is Awadhi Pop in its treatment, a genre that I am trying to build.

What is that you are trying to do for Awadhi Culture?

I have always felt that Awadhi as a language or the compositions have never been kept in their original form. They end up being converted to mainstream, 30% Awadhi 70% Hindi kind of a combination has been coming out, and it is not doing justice to the culture. I would like to bring forward the Awadhi language, instruments, artistry from my region.

A boy from Lakhimpur has 15 lacs plus monthly listeners on Spotify. What does this mean to you?

To be honest, I had envisioned this when I started. This not out of any kind of arrogance, this has been my dream when I had started in my village, from a tin shed studio, during the scorching heat of summers. It doesn’t shock me but gives me immense happiness about realising my dreams. When I sit with my friends, who I made zero budget videos with, we always talk about how we are realising the dreams that we saw way back.

Watch ‘Galat Karam’ here:

Which are the artists that have inspired you?

J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator, JID, Pusha T, are the ones that I like to follow from the hip-hop culture. Beyond hip-hop, there are writers from UP like Waseem Barelvi Sahab, Munnawar Rana Ji, who have inspired me a lot. UP, I think, is the capital of Hindi literature.

As a hip-hop artist, awareness about issues is very important. How do you keep yourself aware about what is happening around you, in the country, world, etc.?

I am a sensitive person and possibly that’s the reason I am an artist. Whether it is something that is right or something that is wrong, or if someone is disrespecting my country, or if someone is in pain, I feel these emotions very deeply within myself. I am well-read because I am very curious about what is happening in my country, about the politics of my country, about the economy of my country, etc.

Watch ‘UP Se’ here:

What are the projects that you are working on currently?

I have a few singles planned to be released in the coming months. I am working on my debut album, which will be a representation of the most vulnerable and deeply explored Panther that has ever been. This album might come by mid next year. I have collaborations in making, one that I can announce is with Sumit Partha, the rest will be announced as when they are gearing towards the release.

What can be done for betterment of hip hop artists in India?

First thing is to pay artists well 😊 The first earing I made in music was through streaming royalty around 2021, it was for the mixtape that I had released. The culture for hip-hop is still building and I think it will grow gradually. We need to build more arenas for performance. We have just about moved from EDM to Hip Hop in India. As we will grow as an economy, and the buying power increases, so will the ticket sales increase for us.

For Panther, music isn’t just rhythm and rhyme—it’s purpose and voice. From empowering Awadhi culture to voicing social realities, his artistry thrives on authenticity. As he gears up for his debut album, Panther continues to evolve—staying raw, aware, and fiercely true to the spirit that defines him.

Article by Vishwa Deepak Dikshit

Photo credit to the artist and his team