“Pretty cool bro, pretty cool.”
— Dennis Chambers, widely considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, on Akshay’s drumming
Akshay Iyer is a professional session and touring drummer based in NJ/NYC — recognized by Grammy-winning artists, connected to producers behind Drake’s recent albums, and available for sessions, touring, and partnerships worldwide.
Since the age of 5, Akshay Iyer has been immersed in rhythm — beginning on the South Indian percussion instrument Mridangam before transitioning to the drum set at just 8, where he developed a signature style rooted in feel, musicality, and precision.
After countless hours honing his craft across genres, he rose from local stages to performing at sold-out shows in New York City, most notably as live drummer for Warner Records R&B artist Nobu Woods (1M+ monthly listeners). Beyond the stage, Akshay has drummed on tracks collectively amassing over 2M+ streams, recorded drums on an upcoming Weston Estate album track, and built an active network of Grammy-winning and nominated artists and producers — including producers connected to Drake’s recent albums.
He has grown a community of over 100,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. His viral Cinderella drum cover amassed 2M+ views on TikTok, with the sound used in over 5 million TikTok videos globally. His work has been spotlighted by Vic Firth and personally praised by Dennis Chambers, one of the greatest drummers of all time.
Akshay has worked with and is actively connected to Grammy-winning and nominated artists and producers including:
Drake Producers — Connected with producers behind Drake’s recent albums, including Starrah, AP, and Prod Sav
Jay Versace — Grammy-winning producer behind SZA’s SOS and Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost
CyHi the Prynce — Renowned lyricist for Kanye West & Travis Scott, co-writer of multi-platinum hit “Sicko Mode”
Bruno Major — Platinum “Easily,” Gold “Nothing,” 1.5B+ total streams
Sid Sriram — Grammy-nominated vocalist and composer, “Srivalli” with 140M+ Spotify streams, 1B+ global streams
Flawed Mangoes — Billboard-featured, creator of the “hopecore” movement, 400M+ streams
Nobu Woods — Warner Records R&B artist, 1M+ monthly listeners, sold-out Baby’s All Right NYC
Weston Estate — Recorded drums on an upcoming Weston Estate album track
Elijah Fox — Multi-instrumentalist/producer for Drake, Yussef Dayes, YEBBA, and Denzel Curry
Shilpa Rao — Grammy-nominated Bollywood playback singer, “Ghungroo” and “Subhanallah”
Benny Dayal — AR Rahman collaborator, 100M+ YouTube streams
Hailey Knox — Viral TikTok singer-songwriter, featured on TRL and The Today Show
…and more!
Akshay Iyer 