Jaipur-Based Artist Trapperx on Going from Ghost Producer to Courting International Fame

When a song that he ghost-produced gained over 60 million views on YouTube, Jaipur-based Sushil Ghunawat realized it was time to release music on his own, and adopted the moniker Trapperx in 2020.

This self-taught DJ and producer who learned from music-making program FL Studio when he was 12 years old, is now 23 and proudly claims he can support his family as an artist. Ghunawat was Introduced to the world of ghost music production via an online friend in Argentina, and the “influential contacts” Ghunawat made were put to use on collaborations. He got to work under Tay Keith, the American beatsmith behind Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” and notched up releases on labels such as Trap City and SSL Music. “Good thing was we were approaching the right people and not wasting a single mail,” the artist says.

As the moniker Trapperx suggests, Ghunawat took to trap beats and says he received more recognition for it internationally than in India. “My only motive to do international projects as Trapperx was to make my country proud on global charts. I don’t want to compete with anybody in the nation but I gotta show the Western world that Indian producers are no longer bedroom producers,” he adds.

In addition to working with vocalists Akash Ahuja and Rya Rey on the icy tune “By My Side,” Trapperx kicked off 2020 with songs like “Bewafai” with artist Axsh and a vibrant EDM-informed song called “Live Like a Love Song” featuring American singer-songwriter Kayden McCarthy. Ghunawat says he had “hundreds of projects” ready but chose to release “Bewafai” as his debut song. “It was written after I had my first heartbreak. I was living that song,” the producer adds.

Watch the video for “Tera Nasha” below.

After solo songs like “Coming Back to You,” “Shallow Water” and the Hindi trap track “Tera Nasha,” Trapperx recently teamed up with American artist Peter Piffen and Canadian producer-songwriter Jstn Dmnd for his most recent single “Blurry.” 

While he’s traversed pop and house music production previously, “Blurry” takes things back to slick, shimmering and seismic trap. Ghunawat says about his process, “I always try to add elements which are unique and try to make it simple. The best songs in the world are made with very simple top lining. Instead of doing heavy production, I prefer something which is catchy, relatable and something which a person can vibe on.”

There are more Trapperx collaborations and solo projects in motion for 2022, and among them is a release on Malta-origin music blog turned label Lithuania HQ, which Ghunawat terms as “the best music label in the world at present”. He adds, “We have many indie projects with Indian artists as well.”

Listen to “Blurry” below: