From rapper to Nepal’s youngest prime minister, Balendra Shah faces the country’s devastation

“I want to see Nepal smile. I want to see Nepal’s heart dance. I want to see the Nepali people live happily.” Those lines from Nepal Haseko became the anthem of Kathmandu’s Generation Z after the song was released on Sept. 8, 2025. It has since reached 13 million views on YouTube.

The song captured the hopes of young Nepalis angered by inequality, corruption and authoritarianism. They were looking for better days, as young people elsewhere, including Morocco, Bangladesh and Madagascar, were also demanding change.

Nearly a year later, smiles have given way to tears. Floods that devastated Nepal and Tibet on Aug. 27 killed at least 1,130 people and left more than 4,500 missing, according to the latest figures cited on Wednesday morning. The disaster is described as Nepal’s worst natural catastrophe since 2015, when an earthquake killed 9,000 people.

Nepalis now expect more than words from “Balen Shah,” the rapper who wrote Nepal Haseko. Balendra Shah became prime minister on March 27, 2026, rising to the country’s highest office after becoming a voice for a generation seeking a different future. He must now confront a landscape transformed by catastrophe.

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I want to see Nepal smile. I want to see Nepal’s heart dance. I want to see the Nepali people live happily.