<figure><img width="2000" height="994" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad2b9c7e80680e077f78jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Abhi Bastakoti as Curtis Waters</figcaption></figure>Somewhere out there, at this very moment, there are people listening to Nepal-born Curtis Waters. And it is probably his infectious single Stunnin’.In less than two months, the song has been streamed over 25 million times and is climbing across many Top 40 radio formats around the world. It ranked #3 on Rolling Stone magazine’s Breakthrough 25 Chart for June.Last week, it appeared on a Mercedes Benz advertisement. Things have been moving fast for Waters, who was born Abhi Bastakoti in Kathmandu literally at the turn of the 21st century when the Internet was still sparse. He came of age online and on social media in Germany and North America. Now, at 20, he isn’t just living on the Internet, he has emerged as one of its biggest sensations.“We are seven weeks in, and Stunnin’ is growing faster than any song released this year,” said Chris Anokute, who discovered Curtis Waters by chance, and is now his manager. “It takes about 20 to 25 weeks to properly cement a song into the marketplace, and another six to nine months to cement the artist. So it's still early days and we are very excited about the potential of what's to come.”Anokute would know. He is one of American music industry’s top A&amp;R executives and was central in launching young artists to great enduring success, including Katy Perry, Iggy Azalea and Rihanna.When he heard Freckles by Waters, Anokute was captivated. “The song literally blew me away,” he recalled. Like so many times before, he knew he was listening to an artist that just needed to be discovered by the world. So he reached out. The timing couldn’t have been better.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgduhk26sIwStunnin’ was not released yet, but after more than six months of working on it, Waters had just started teasing it out on TikTok by posting snippets. It did not take long for it to go viral. That’s when Waters was flooded with offers from record companies.“It was an extremely stressful three weeks,” Waters recalled, speaking to Nepali Times about the many simultaneous offers from various major record labels he was suddenly having to figure out. “I would not have been able to navigate this without Chris. For me, I like making music and having fun. He really came through in helping guide me on the business side.”In the end, Waters decided to stay independent and signed on with Young Forever, Anokute’s artist management company. The first order of business for this new relationship: releasing Stunnin'. “Stunnin’ is fresh, I liked it instantly,” Ranzen, the popular Nepali producer and DJ said. “And its great to see that he could choose to stay independent.” <figure><img width="265" height="400" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad2e9c7e80680e077f79jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“Its raunchy 2020,” added Rohit Shakya, perhaps the most versatile and prodigious musician, songwriter and producer in Nepal today.Born in Kathmandu on 20 December 1999, Waters was only four years old when he moved to Germany with his parents. When the family relocated to Canada, he was 10. His father is a PhD in environment science, and his mother has a double masters and works in Geographic Information Systems. <figure><img width="2448" height="4352" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad2f9c7e80680e077f7ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>He has returned to Nepal only once, for his bratabanda coming of age ceremony at age 14. Those three months in Nepal would change the trajectory of his life.Waters enjoyed his sightseeing trips to Chitwan and Pokhara, but remembers being stuck in Kathmandu with bad Internet and an unfamiliar way of life while his actual high-school teenage life was falling apart. He could not talk to his friends in Canada because of the time difference, and what had become a long distance relationship with his girlfriend had ended with her cheating on him.“I was super bored, and I was also a little depressed,” he recalled. “And I had a lot of time. So I started learning how to make music.”He hasn’t stopped since. If there is a reason Stunnin’ sounds like the work of a polished artist with a sleek producer, it is because Waters has spent all this teenage years training to be one -- both as an artist and a keen audience of pop-punk, pop and rap.Over the last four years, he has left a digital trail of his music and life. His songs were written when he was a teenager, and they do not pretend to by anything else. The lyrics tell it like it is: ‘I like things/ I like girls/ I like the world/ I know the world is mine,’ he sings in one. ‘I ain’t so sure about my future,’ he confesses in another. <figure><img width="4352" height="2448" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad329c7e80680e077f7bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Musically, genres seem to matter less to Waters. His focus is clearly on catchy melodies filled with clever layers and beats while making it all sound simple, whole and natural. Stylistically, there are plenty of odes to his influences from all the years that he has been alive.Its not surprising that currently 70% of his listening fan base is under 27 and about 65% are female. Nepalis now make up a part of his fast growing legion of followers. And as Nepalis discover him, Waters is himself trying to learn more about his Nepali roots.“Honestly speaking, because I was so young when I left Nepal, I missed out on a lot of my culture. But I am on this journey of connecting with my Nepali roots now, and I love it,” he said.Waters confesses to also being fairly disconnected from the new Nepali music scene, but he is certain about his favorites in Nepali music: “I love Narayan Gopal, he is my favorite Nepali artist, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ZCbmpMs">Jun Phool Mailey</a> is my favorite Narayan Gopal song. And Gaun Gaun Bata Utha is my favorite Nepali song.”Sure enough, he was recently holding court on Instagram Live when he spontaneously burst into the chorus of Raamesh Shrestha’s revolutionary <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ykc7gDoK-U">Gaun Gaun Bata Utha</a> as his audience from around the world cheered him on. “My song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9mg4PC3Yx8">System</a>, you know I wanted the audience to feel the rage, sort of like Gaun Gaun Bata Utha,” he added.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9mg4PC3Yx8Waters is currently busy preparing for the launch of his album in September. It was recorded in his college dorm at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “Curtis produced and executive produced the entire album, with maybe four collaborators in a few co-productions and features,” said Anokute.Freckles, the song that drew Anokute to Waters, will be released before the album. An older listener might find traces of the bright pop radio hits from about a decade ago, and be caught humming it before even realising it. And the sincere melancholic confession will certainly leave a lot for the younger audiences to relate to. Freckles may well become inescapable on the radio and online this autumn, just as Stunnin’ has fast become a part of the soundtrack to Summer 2020.Anokute was the first major music executives to reach out to Waters, before any mainstream success. “Everybody loved Stunnin’ but Chris didn’t care about it. He loved the album,” Waters said, of their initial conversations. “My life has really changed the last three months and everything has come together in a super surreal way.”When Waters worked at Tropical Smoothie, a local smoothie shop in North Carolina, occasionally a student would recognise him from his nascent online presence. Anonymity is now a thing of the past.“Its pretty bizarre. Every time I go out people come up to me. And I’m walking around with my family, and when I’m with my family I’m just Abhi. On the internet, I’m Curtis Waters.  It’s sort of a character in my head,” he said, giddy and wary in equal measure. “Now kids come up. It’s a new thing, and am not used to it yet. I gotta look good every time I’m outside now.”For Nepalis, Waters is the first Nepal born artist to reach international success of this kind, a feat that Waters, who yearns to understand and experience Nepal more than ever, is himself immensely proud of. But as a rising star with a serious international hit and a highly anticipated forthcoming album, this is perhaps only a glimpse of what’s coming his way.“He wrote the song, and I opened up doors for it to be heard and supported at major levels,” Anokute said, of Stunnin’. “There's no difference between how this feels compared to when we launched Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl. It's just 12 years later, but the story always stays the same. Hits don’t lie. Stunnin’ is a TikTok sensation, but Curtis is more than a sensation. He's here to stay.”<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17940#.XsDTSf8za70">Kashish Das Shrestha</a> has written about youth and music culture in Nepal since 1997. Twitter, Instagram: @KashishdsRead also: <a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-brief-history-of-nepali-rock-and-arthur-gunn/">A brief history of Arthur Gunn</a> by Kashish Das Shrestha

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The rise of Curtis Waters

Samsung Nepal has opened pre-orders for the Galaxy A57 5G and A37 5G. Both phones run Samsung’s One UI 8.5, featuring AI capabilities like voice transcription, Circle to Search, and photo editing. They feature a 50MP triple-camera system, a Super AMOLED display, and six years of OS and security updates.

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Know your Ministers

‘One early morning, we heard the ambassador’s wife cry out, “Ram, Ram, Ram!” A disaster has befallen Nepal!” She had heard on the radio that a fire had consumed Singha Durbar." This is not about the arson attack on 9 September 2025, but the one on 8 July, 1973. It started in the South Wing of the then single-largest building in all of Nepal. It took two days to bring the blaze under control, requiring the use of explosives to demolish one wing to protect the imposing western facade. As Bhekh Bahadur Thapa recalls in the English translation of his memoir A Life in Public Service: Nepal from Autocracy to Democracy, he was then on leave from the Nepal government serving with the IDRC in Ottawa.&nbsp; He had already served as Nepal’s Finance Secretary at age 25, went on to be Finance Minister and Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank. He was already younger than some of the GenZ ministers in Nepal’s present RSP government. Thapa, now 89, was at the launch of the book in February which was attended by former diplomats and bureaucrats. After speeches by panelists, there was a question from the audience about how Thapa had managed to be the diplomat he was, managing Nepal’s international relations on the world stage.&nbsp; Writer and journalist Akhilesh Upadhyay, who was moderating the panel, responded by going into the section of the book where we see Thapa as an ambassador to the US, playing tennis with White House officials, cultivating a network of contacts to project the identity and welfare of Nepal, and making it possible for a state visit by King Birendra to Ronald Reagan’s America. The book is full of anecdotes that suggest Thapa was a clever and strategic diplomat, always calm and unruffled, easily making friends in high places with his maturity and engaging sense of humour. Thapa’s memoir is heavy on details about Nepal’s administrative history during the years he was active in public service, serving as minister and ambassador under three kings: Mahendra, Birendra and Gyanendra, and alongside five prime ministers.&nbsp; Aside from an insider look on how certain treaties, development deals and research projects in Nepal came into fruition, Thapa goes into great detail about his personal and professional relationships with the kings, ministers, ambassadors, foreign leaders and politicians.&nbsp; As a reader, one is struck by the level of detail around the events that unfolded in Nepal over the years during Thapa’s tenure. Was Thapa recording a journal over the years of the events and the conversations that transpired, or were they committed to his phenomenal memory? Either way, the reader gets a glimpse of Nepal’s recent history from the early days of the Panchayat, through the People’s Movement and the democracy period, the Maoist insurgency, Royal Palace massacre of 2001, and Gyanendra’s coup of 2005.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2026041204048_125dc8ae300a1e33124f394abe724d42727f83e067b0201d2008b58d60c459a4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2026041204048_125dc8ae300a1e33124f394abe724d42727f83e067b0201d2008b58d60c459a4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1584" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="How to win friends and influence nations NT"> </figure>  Not enough is said about the political parties of the time whose presence led to the way Nepal’s multiparty democracy came to be shaped. The book keeps its focus on the administration and the key figures around it, mostly those in the Panchayat era. Towards the second half of the book, we do start to hear about political parties, but not in great depth. Another figure whose presence in the book is conspicuously less prominent is that of his wife, Rita Thapa — the person who seems to have rescued him every time financial quandary or family care became a challenge. Yet, we do not see her as a full person. Perhaps because of the personal tragedies in his life, the children are also barely mentioned.&nbsp; The book is therefore less personal and more technical. Throughout, we learn about Thapa’s thinking as he navigated the world of diplomacy to win him the trust of those who mattered. There are tips here for a new generation of Nepali officials and diplomats about how much commitment and focus is needed to be good at one’s job and serve the national interest. This book adds to tomes that have been written on Nepal’s fragile relationship with India. ‘India has always wished for Nepal to remain dependent on it,’ writes Thapa, who served as Nepal’s ambassador to India and later in the Eminent Persons Group &nbsp;on Indo-Nepal relations that has been allowed to languish. The book has several insights into the Indo-Nepal trysts with diplomacy and agency.&nbsp; China’s role is also recorded, viewed through conversations during a visit to Beijing, but all that was before Nepal’s neighbour to the north emerged as a world economic and military power. The book also has such sudden instances of quirkiness and humour. For instance, we see a young Thapa in America explaining to a government official why he would like to return to Nepal instead of settling down in the US. “Because, Nepal is beautiful,” he said. The text is immaculate and does not read much like a translation, credit for which clearly goes to the team that put the edition together: translator Prawin Adhikari, &nbsp;Anagha Neelakanthan and Bhekh Thapa’s daughter, Manjushree. As Nepal enters a new era of governance and diplomacy, A Life in Public Service: Nepal from Autocracy to Democracy should be essential reading for students of political science, economics and foreign affairs who can gain a fresh perspective on the country’s trajectory.&nbsp; There are dozens of forgotten state secrets recorded in the book, but the reader must also remember this is a story told from one person’s perspective and there may be others.&nbsp; So, what really made Thapa the diplomat he was? I met him in 2004 at the Kantipur TV studio when he was serving as king Gyanendra’s foreign minister. He was there for a studio interview, and I was just done with my English newscast.&nbsp; He surprised me at the door: “Pratibha! I’ve been reading your articles in The Kathmandu Post. You must keep writing.” I thanked him, glad to have been noticed for my work by a stranger. That was perhaps one of the things that set Thapa apart — he excelled at staying close to those in power, while also noticing those who were not.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260412040412_213e706136a038ec9f5e2b8c6d7f7c1e9ceed9479e22fe2884872ad7bd20955f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260412040412_213e706136a038ec9f5e2b8c6d7f7c1e9ceed9479e22fe2884872ad7bd20955f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Book details"> </figure>

How to win friends and influence nations

Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday broke tradition and met with 17 foreign envoys collectively, a move that was a notable departure from how his predecessors operated.&nbsp;
Shah had already set himself apart by talking less, listening more, and delegating to trusted friends. But by meeting all ambassadors at one go in the presence of the Foreign Ministry, he signalled a paradigm shift in how he wants Nepal to be seen: no longer just balancing India and China, but as a country confident about its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/guest-editorial/tripolar-contestation-over-nepal">strategic importance and place in the world</a>.
In just two weeks, the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/rsp-dos-and-don-ts">RSP has sprung into action </a>on multiple fronts to implement its ambitious 100-point, 100-days action plan. It has taken short-term measures to mitigate the impact of the Gulf war, as well as medium- and long- term measures to streamline the bureaucracy. A few high-profile figures have been made examples of to drive the message home.
Earlier this week, the government recalled six politically appointed ambassadors, the most notable being long-serving Shankar Sharma from New Delhi. The Kathmandu District Court issued arrest warrants against former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his former foreign minister wife Arzu Rana on charges of money laundering and corruption.
Each ministry has been trying to clean up the accumulated rot from the past three decades: regulatory overhaul of microfinance, education, health and service delivery.&nbsp;
These actions widely disseminated campaign-style on YouTube and TikTok have made most Nepalis hopeful that the party they installed in power means business.
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BACKLASH
But such attempts to overhaul a long-entrenched political culture were bound to face backlash. In their impatience and enthusiasm to get things done, some of Prime Minister Shah’s ministers have over-reached.
It was common knowledge that government-paid advertising in the mainstream press was kickback-driven, but the PMO’s directive that official notices be published or broadcast only on state-run media has been denounced — especially as the media industry struggles to stay afloat.
More serious are some recent appointments by ministers of relatives and figures closely associated with the RSP to key positions. This has rankled because this party built its political plank on ending nepotism and graft.&nbsp;
News that Home Minister Sudan Gurung allegedly had not paid rent on leased land, which illegally encroached on the lake in Pokhara did not help. &nbsp;
Prime Minister Shah himself has come under scrutiny for appointing a kitchen cabinet full of male buddies from his time as Kathmandu mayor. To douse criticism he brought in as adviser investigative journalist Deepa Dahal, who has exposed corruption in high places of the previous coalitions.&nbsp;
Shah’s appointment of another political adviser Asim Shah to the head Constitution Amendment Task Force, is also seen as problematic. He is a filmmaker and former lawmaker, but does not have a background in constitutional law.&nbsp;
Even more controversial is the Cabinet’s decision to appoint RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane’s legal counsel, Narayan Kandel, as Attorney General. Kandel used to be a UK permanent resident, and does not have as much experience practicing law in Nepal.&nbsp;
Kandel’s appointment drew flak and raised eyebrows, and with the pending legal cases against Lamichhane this appointment represents a flagrant conflict of interest.
Health Minister Nisha Mehta was also accused of favouritism after reappointing Junu Shrestha, wife of Labour Minister Dipak Kumar Shah, as member of the Health Insurance Board which had earlier suspended her. The Labour Minister’s rambling rant at the Board’s meeting on Tuesday has not helped the RSP’s image.&nbsp;
(UPDATE: On Thursday, Prime Minister Shah sacked the Labour Minister after the RSP found him in breach of the party's code of conduct and discipline. He served 14 days in the Cabinet, one of the shortest tenures for a minister in Nepal )
It is hard to know what <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/ball-in-balen-s-court">Balendra Shah is thinking</a>, and how Rabi Lamichhane is going to justify some of these moves. After all, making politics, governance, and bureaucracy a meritocracy has been the core tenet of the RSP, and it risks alienating its mainly youth base if these missteps persist.
But at least for now, most RSP supporters seem to be giving the party the benefit of doubt.

curtis-walters

The rise of Curtis Waters

Galaxy A series

Know your Ministers

How to win friends and influence nations

Nepal’s new government springs into action