Bloodywood Members 2026: Lineup + Nu Delhi

Bloodywood, the New Delhi folk-metal band: members, albums Rakshak and Nu Delhi, best songs, Billboard history and 2026-27 tour dates.

Key facts

Formed: 2016, New Delhi
Members: Karan Katiyar (guitars, flute, production), Jayant Bhadula (vocals), Raoul Kerr (rap vocals). Live band: Roshan Roy (bass), Vishesh Singh (drums), Sarthak Pahwa (dhol)
Genres: nu metal, folk metal, rap metal, metalcore
Label: Fearless Records since October 2024; Rakshak was self-released
Studio albums: Rakshak (18 February 2022) and Nu Delhi (21 March 2025)
Milestone: first Indian metal act on the Billboard charts, with Rakshak debuting at No. 93 on Top Album Sales

Bloodywood is a metal band from New Delhi, formed in 2016 by guitarist-producer Karan Katiyar and vocalist Jayant Bhadula. Rapper Raoul Kerr became the third permanent member in 2019. The band mixes nu metal, rap and metalcore with Indian folk instruments such as dhol and flute. Their debut album Rakshak (2022) made them the first Indian metal act to enter the Billboard charts. Their second album, Nu Delhi, came out on 21 March 2025 through Fearless Records. In 2026 they headlined North America on the System of a Brown tour, and they are booked to support Electric Callboy in Europe and the UK from January to March 2027.

Here is everything in one place: who is in the band, how a YouTube parody project became India's biggest heavy-music export, every album, the songs to start with, and where they are touring next.

Who are the members of Bloodywood?

Bloodywood has three official members, plus three touring musicians who play every show.

Karan Katiyar

Katiyar is the band's guitarist, flautist, producer and composer. Before Bloodywood, Wikipedia notes, he worked as a corporate lawyer and uploaded parody metal covers of Bollywood songs to YouTube. He quit his job in 2016 to make the band his full-time work. He also directed the official "Nu Delhi" video, according to its published credits.

Jayant Bhadula

Bhadula is the clean and harsh vocalist. Katiyar met him at a local gig, when Bhadula was working as a talent manager at an entertainment company, and was struck by his range. Rolling Stone India says Bhadula "goes ham" on the Slipknot-inspired "Halla Bol" from Nu Delhi.

Raoul Kerr

Kerr is the rapper and the band's main spokesperson in interviews. Katiyar first asked him to guest on the 2018 cover "Ari Ari" after making a lyric video for him. Bloodywood announced in April 2019 that Kerr had joined as a permanent member.

The live band

Rolling Stone India names bassist Roshan Roy, drummer Vishesh Singh and dhol player Sarthak Pahwa as the musicians who complete the live line-up. Fearless Records credits the three core members on its artist page.

How did Bloodywood start?

Bloodywood began as a joke with serious playing behind it. Katiyar and Bhadula formed a two-piece in 2016 with the stated aim of "destroying pop songs" (Wikipedia). Their 2017 re-recording of Linkin Park's "Heavy" in early-Linkin-Park nu metal style got coverage from Loudwire and Metal Hammer. Metal Hammer called it "what Linkin Park's Heavy should have sounded like". The covers were collected that year as Anti-Pop Vol. 1 on Bandcamp, followed by a metal take on Daler Mehndi's "Tunak Tunak Tun".

The turning point was "Ari Ari" in 2018, a version of the Bombay Rockers song that is itself based on the folk song "Baari Barsi". The response pushed the band to write originals rooted in Indian folk music. "Jee Veerey" (2018) tackled depression and came with free online counselling sessions offered through HopeTherapy. "Endurant" (January 2019) was about bullying. "Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)" followed in April 2019, the same month the band announced their first Wacken Open Air booking in Germany.

Bloodywood albums and discography

Anti-Pop Vol. 1 (2017)

A compilation of the band's early metal covers, released on Bandcamp.

Rakshak (2022)

The debut studio album was released independently on 18 February 2022. Rakshak means "protector". It is sung in English, Hindi and Punjabi, and covers social and political themes. "Dana-Dan", for example, deals with rape and sexual assault. Rolling Stone India reported that it entered Billboard's Top Album Sales chart at No. 93, reached No. 46 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 5 on Digital Albums, and appeared on 13 Billboard charts in total. The band said 70% of their sales were physical copies that were not counted. Wikipedia adds that Rakshak topped Bandcamp's album sales on release.

Nu Delhi (2025)

Nu Delhi, the second studio album, came out on 21 March 2025 through Fearless Records. The Bandcamp credits read "Bloodywood Media Private Limited, under exclusive license to Fearless Records". The album has eight tracks:

Halla Bol
Hutt
Dhadak
Bekhauf (feat. BABYMETAL)
Kismat
Daggebaaz
Tadka
Nu Delhi

The title track was the lead single, released on 18 October 2024, the day the Fearless signing was announced. "Bekhauf" followed on 6 December 2024 as the band's first collaboration, with Japanese band Babymetal. Rolling Stone India calls "Tadka" a "fun-loving tribute to Indian cuisine" and "Kismat" one of the album's more emotionally urgent songs.

Collaborations

In July 2025 Bloodywood featured on Babymetal's single "Kon! Kon!" from the album Metal Forth. Kerr told Rolling Stone India that Katiyar "gave them an instrumental, and they took it and they made it their own."

Best Bloodywood songs to start with

Five tracks, in release order:

"Ari Ari" (2018): the folk-metal cover that set their direction
"Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)" (2019): their first big original
"Dana-Dan" (2022): the heaviest statement on Rakshak
"Nu Delhi" (2024): the love letter to their home city that opens their Fearless era
"Bekhauf (feat. BABYMETAL)" (2024): one of their most-played songs on Spotify

Bloodywood tour history and 2026 to 2027 dates

Breakthrough stages

Bloodywood played Wacken Open Air in 2019 and Japan's Fuji Rock Festival in July 2022, where Kerr says they went viral on Japanese Twitter. The BBC reported in 2023 that the band had become the first Indian metal act on the Billboard charts and had played some of metal's most famous venues. In India they have played Lollapalooza India, NH7 Weekender and Outrage Festival (Rolling Stone India).

2025

In 2025 they toured Europe on their Return of the Singh headline run, with Demonic Resurrection and Midhaven supporting on some dates, which Rolling Stone India calls a first for Indian metal. In June they began a 21-date US tour supporting Babymetal, then joined Halestorm's 18-show European tour in October and November, which ended in London on 26 November 2025.

2026

The System of a Brown tour, produced by Live Nation, was the band's first full-length headline run in the US. It started on 10 April 2026 at Wooly's in Des Moines and included Sick New World in Las Vegas, Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach and Sonic Temple in Columbus. The Pretty Wild, Ladrones and Ankor supported. In June 2026 Bloodywood played European festivals including Rock am Ring, Rock im Park and Download, plus headline shows in Roncade, Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Essen. When the band announced those dates, it called them possibly "the last headlining shows we play where Nu Delhi is our latest release" (BraveWords). That hints at new music, but no third album had been announced as of 24 October 2026.

Bloodywood's Spotify page lists a concert in Dubai at Jubilee Park, Expo City, on 24 October 2026.

2027

The band's official tour page lists support dates with Electric Callboy across Europe and the UK in January, February and March 2027.

Bloodywood's place in Indian metal

Rolling Stone India calls Bloodywood "India's biggest export in heavy music right now". Kerr has said the band's support base was "mainly international", with India contributing "single-digit percentages", and that the goal now is "giving India its metal moment". For the wider picture, read our guide to Indian metal bands. For the city that produced them, see our Delhi indie scene guide.

The band also does social work. Wikipedia records that after their 2019 European tour they gave their earnings to Posh Foundation, a local NGO that cares for homeless animals, to buy an ambulance.

FAQ

Who are the members of Bloodywood?

Karan Katiyar (guitars, flute, production), Jayant Bhadula (vocals) and Raoul Kerr (rap vocals). Roshan Roy (bass), Vishesh Singh (drums) and Sarthak Pahwa (dhol) play with them live.

What genre is Bloodywood?

Mainly nu metal, with folk metal, rap metal and metalcore elements. Their sound features Indian instruments such as dhol and flute, with lyrics in Hindi, Punjabi and English.