Talha Anjum

Early and personal life Talha Anjum was born on 3 October 1995 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. His younger brother, Umer Anjum, is also a rapper.

Career Talha Anjum and Talhah Yunus realized their potential during school and formed the Young Stunners. Based in Karachi, they introduced Urdu rap to the Pakistani music industry. Though they briefly separated and struggled during their solo careers, they reunited in 2017 for their debut album Rebirth. The duo also featured together in a live show at Pakistan Day Parade.

Anjum then also began to appear separately and collaborated with other artists. In 2022, he collaborated with Karakoram and Faris Shafi to perform "Ye Dunya", a nu metal track from #CokeStudio14, which discusses the struggles and emotional support for each other. He released "Nevermind" with Indian rapper Calm. In 2023, he released his debut solo album, Open Letter, which earned him two nominations at the 23rd Lux Style Awards. He then released his second solo album, My Terrible Mind, in collaboration with the American label Mass Appeal. In December, Anjum made his cinematic debut in the short film Kattar Karachi, a visual representation of the album, and also served as an executive producer. Though the film underperformed, it won the Lux Style Award for Film of the Year.

Style and influence Anjum is inspired by Jaun Elia and his poetic style, and he uses street language, local humour, and social commentary in his lyrics to connect with the newer generation. He backs his unfiltered rap style and themes, though he clarifies that he does not intend to promote drugs and violence. Indian rapper Badshah has also praised his writing style.

According to the 2024 Spotify Wrapped, he became the most-streamed local artist in Pakistan. He had 17 tracks featured out of the top 30 Pakistani tracks on the Spotify Global Impact list. He was second to Atif Aslam in the previous two years. In the following years, he was named Pakistani Gen-Z's most favourite artist, with hip-hop as their most favourite genre, and he was ranked the most-streamed local artist since the Spotify Pakistan started in 2021.

In 2026, he became a judge with Bohemia on a reality TV show Rap Icon Pakistan.

Controversy In 2025, Anjum faced a disturbance during some of his concerts in different cities of Pakistan, when objects were thrown at him, and the organizers had to forcibly remove the alleged perpetrator from the venue. In November, Anjum faced backlash from Pakistani media for waving the Indian flag at a concert in Nepal, though he defended his action by distinguishing art from politics. However, he issued an unconditional apology few days later, in a live TV show hosted by Nadia Khan.

Selected discography

Singles and collaborations Albums

Filmography Kattar Karachi (2024)

Awards and nominations Ref

Open Letter Most Stylish Musician

"Downers At Dusk" Singer of the Year

Film Actor of the Year - Male (Viewers' choice)

Film of the Year (Viewers' choice) "Departure Lane" Artist of the Year (Viewers' choice)

2021 "Tum Tum"

"Departure Lane"

Footnotes