KOAD INTERVIEW: VIPER PRESENTS [FEATURE] BOLD ENGAGING INTERVIEW 2025
KOAD INTERVIEW: KOAD is a 23-year-old Indian-American rapper, producer, director, and entertainer known for his genre-blending sound and bold creative vision. Born Ajay Dodani and raised in the San Fernando Valley, he began producing at 13, left high school at 14 to pursue music full time, and built his early career from a self-made garage studio alongside his brother and manager, Amit. His eclectic influences—Bollywood, devotional music, Hip Hop, Pop, and global rhythms—shape the imaginative world of his forthcoming debut album, ‘Treehouse’. Get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
honest. sexy. fun. electric. unprecedented.
Tell me something unique about your creative process.
Benjamin KOGO always gotta be in the studio with me. He’s my koala and he comes with me everywhere.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
I think ‘deepika’ is honestly a fun place to start. It’s literally starting off my story at the age of six so you can see me tell my life’s story.
What inspired you to make that song?
I grew up with legendary Rap songs with Soul samples that rappers would tell stories about their life. I wanted to have my own that I could bump in the car. I wrote it on my notebook when I had a concussion ‘cause I was feigning to write.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
The musical equivalent of being naked. I get very vulnerable and honest in my music. I feel a strong responsibility to do so. I firmly believe if i’m not being 1000% myself i’m doing myself and my community a huge disservice.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
Best, when I see an auntie or uncle at my shows I bring them on stage to dance with them and it’s the most fun shit ever. They’re always so adorable.
What is your favourite song to perform?
I love performing ‘deepika’ cause it’s a song with no hook and just bars for two minutes and seeing people rap with me word for word is one of the best feelings.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
SO MANY AHHH. Kendrick and Tyler were big influences growing up especially being from California. Also I used to watch Michael Jackson videos all day every day as a kid and studied how he danced and all his movements. I always say I dropped outta high school to attend Wayne university (watching Lil Wayne videos every morning) Lil Wayne taught me punchlines. I’m really a student of music so I could go on and on about all the different things I’ve learned and have inspired me throughout my journey.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
When I was 13, I was tryna choose a rap name and I just thought about what I liked so I took the KO from koalas and the AD from my initials and put ‘em together.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
100% I would be a chef. I am the best chef of all time when I get in that kitchen. I can do things with pancakes that the human brain simply couldn’t fathom until the taste buds have tried it.
What’s success to you?
Being able to create and share my art is already success within itself. But I firmly believe that I was put here on this planet to be authentically myself in my art and spread joy to the world. I wanna do everything and I wanna play on the biggest stages in the world.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
I’ve had plenty. While making this album I’ve dealt with some health issues, specifically a bunch of concussions. These concussions got to a point where doctors told me I had to change my profession and not make music. I didn’t do that [laughs] but it did allow me to dive into Jazz more since i couldn’t listen to anything loud or with 808s.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
Send me a carrier pigeon. You can follow me on social media and shit too but if you send me a carrier pigeon or a message in a bottle there’s no way that I won’t find a way to communicate back to you cause that’s incredible if you pull that off.
