From social media covers to the stage in United States: Who is Darshan Magdum, the 22-year-old from India rocking the music scene globally

INDIAN SINGER DARSHAN MAGDUM, aged 22, has achieved a major feat, by making an unconventional journey from a small village in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra to the American music scene. He has become a member of the US-based boy band "Boy Throb," and is set to go around the United States performing for the next few months. 

His journey has been a testament to his perseverance and determination marked by a prolonged visa battle, and finally staging first live performance with the band in October 2026. 

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For someone, who grew up in the Dundage village in Kolhapur, it was his journey through social media and the craze for his song covers that got him the opportunity to join the American boy band. However, it was his struggle to secure an US visa — for which the boy band campaigned actively — that gathered the attention of people across the world, culminating into his performance with his bandmates in New Jersey. 

Early life and his relation to music  

Darshan Magdum was born and raised in Dundage village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. According to The Indian Express, both his parents are teachers. His father, B M Magdum, teaches at a high school, while his mother, Rajeshree Magdum, teaches students from Classes 1 to 4. His elder brother, Omkar Magdum, works for a private firm.

Darshan’s videos became viral with an unconventional singing style, which initially received a lot of mockery and criticism online. But, his passion for singing led him to continue it despite all odds.  

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However, Magdum had undergone classical music training since the age of ten. He continued the singing training for four years before beginning his practice independently. 

In an interview with Grazia India in October 2025, Magdum said that he had been recording song covers since childhood, but did not post them online. His major online traction came with his first cover of the song Hasi, from the bollywood film Hamari Adhuri Kahani. 

From social media covers to the performance at the United States

It was around the year of 2018-2019 that Magdum began uploading his singing videos on Instagram. Taking a detour from the general pathway followed by Indian musicians, Magdum decided to take on the music in English. 

One of the covers that became very popular — receiving both appreciation and mockery — was Blinding Lights by Canadian singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye, popularly known as The Weekend. 

This was just the beginning of what would be an unprecedented turn in both his career and life. With his low-budget setup, he was able to gather appreciation from international artists, including Maroon 5, Bruno Mars and Rose. By November 2026, he had posted more than 200 videos on Instagram.

The association with the band Boy Throb began in 2025, when the founders of the American band contacted him to join their group. It was in September 2025, that the founders of the band contacted Magdum via social media, asking him to join the band. 

Since then, it was the issue of securing an US visa that acted as a constraint to Magdum’s joining the band in the United States. After a prolonged battle, in which the American band campaigned actively for Magdum’s visa, the four members have officially come together, with Magdum joining the team in the United states. 

The band is made up of Magdum, Anthony Key, Evan Papier and Zachary Sobania. In August 2026, Magdum secured his O-1 visa — a temporary work visa, granted for people who possess “extraordinary ability” in the field of sciences, arts, education, business or sports. Magdum had applied for the O-1B visa,  and it granted him a three-year tenure in the US, before further extensions. 

 According to the online ticket-booking websites, the band is up for a major tour across different cities in the United States. Named as the “Boy Throb’s Real tour,” the band is set to perform at Washington, DC on March 19, 2027; at Charlotte on March 20; at Nashville on March 23; Dallas Texas on March 27; Houston on March 28, before moving to the big event at Los Angeles on April 2, 2027.

^[OG/AR/RS]

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