When Mutant (Dipesh Yadav) first sat down at a creaky desktop computer at the age of 14, he wasn’t dreaming of global music streams or hip-hop charts. He was just a kid whose mother had teased him with a playful challenge: “Why do you play games developed by others? You should develop your own!”
What began as a teenager’s ego-driven response to a mother’s taunt unexpectedly set the stage for a musical odyssey. Mutant dove into coding, tinkering with mods for GTA: San Andreas and even attempting his own 2-D game. But when a friend complained that the game lacked sound effects, the hunt for SFX opened an entirely new world.
“Back then, internet data was expensive,” he recalls. “Downloading sounds wasn’t easy, so I tried to make my own. That’s when I stumbled upon blogs and tutorials about music production and DAWs. Creating sounds became far more engrossing than coding. I never finished the game—because I’d found a new, all-consuming passion.”
Carving a Path Without a Map
Mutant grew up in a middle-class household with no musical background to lean on. Resources were scarce and so was mentorship. “I had to ghost-produce just to buy my first pieces of equipment,” he says. “Data was costly, my computer was ancient, and professional training was out of reach.”
Instead, he became his own school. Plugin manuals and scattered blog posts were his textbooks. Professional feedback came from boldly messaging audio engineers on social media and absorbing their critiques. Even a classmate’s mockery became fuel. “It pushed me to prove that my love for music was worthwhile,” he says.
Becoming the ‘Mutant’
The name “Mutant” captures both his individuality and his early love of science. “A mutant is something different from the rest,” he explains. “I’m the only one in my family to pursue music seriously, and I wanted my name to reflect that uniqueness.”
That identity shapes his sound. His EP Dark Blaze, for instance, fuses Drill with unexpected textures, a hallmark of his experimental approach. “My goal is always to create something that pushes boundaries,” he says. “The name reminds me to stay true to that.”
Stories in Sound
Of all his projects, the five-track EP Broken Heart remains the most personal. It traces the emotional arc of one-sided love—from the innocent beginnings of “Friendship,” through the ache of “Broken Heart,” to the quiet acceptance of “Alone.”
“It’s a story almost everyone knows,” Mutant says. “I wanted to capture that universal experience—from infatuation to healing—in a way listeners could feel without words.”
Sixteen Million Streams—Without a Cent in Ads
Today, Mutant’s instrumentals have crossed 16 million organic streams, an achievement that once felt impossible. His “secret”? Relentless output and a refusal to obsess over numbers.
“I read about people like Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg,” he says. “They all started from zero. I just focused on giving my best and letting the right listeners find the music. Quantity with consistent quality—that’s the formula.”
Charting Motivation, Not Milestones
When his name hit #108 on Apple Music’s Hip Hop Daily chart, it was gratifying, but not a turning point. “The real turning point was when my mom challenged me to create my own game,” he says with a smile. “The chart position is just motivation to aim for the top 100 next time. I want my music to age like fine wine—not be a fleeting hit.”
Behind the Scenes: Ghost Producing
Long before the streams came, Mutant sharpened his skills as a ghost producer for major artists and brands—even for commercials and films—while still in his teens.
“It was intense,” he admits. “I’d spend days on a track only to have it rejected and sometimes had to refund the money. But seeing those tracks become hits for others proved my music could compete. Ghost producing taught me the business side and, most importantly, the value of owning my work.”
Breaking Myths About Independent Music in India
Mutant is quick to bust some persistent myths. “People think you need a big label or expensive gear. You don’t. I started on a low-end computer with no formal training,” he says. “And overnight success? That’s a fantasy. Real success is a slow, steady climb.”
Fuel from Doubt
His resilience stems from turning negativity into drive. “My mom’s taunt pushed me toward coding. A classmate’s mockery fueled my music,” he says. “Whenever someone doubts me, it becomes my motivation.”
Off-stage, Mutant continues to feed his creative side through coding, graphic design, cooking, storytelling, and photography. “I’ve always loved making things,” he says. “It’s all part of the same creative impulse.”
Right now, Mutant is crafting a project rooted in the essence of India—an homage to his homeland. He’s also dreaming of collaborations: “Internationally, I’d love to work with Dr. Dre or Metro Boomin. In India, it would be anyone from the Mafia Mundeer crew—Yo Yo Honey Singh, Raftaar, Badshah, Ikka, or Lil Golu. Their music inspired me long before I knew anything about production.”
