The Indonesian rapper rocks the stage with her fiery raps at IT’S THE SHIP 2023.
Ramengvrl an up-and-coming rapper from Indonesia has made waves in the music industry, both locally and around the region. Her repertoire of hits that are creative, confident, and catchy has won her approval from young fans from Jakarta to Singapore.
Her debut album, Can’t Speak English, accumulated millions of streams globally, earning her scores of devoted fans and solidifying her place in the regional hip-hop scene. Her songs feature audacious rhymes that incorporate her real-life experiences, giving her music a distinct zest that encapsulates her energy. Ramengvrl’s lyrics often touch on themes of empowerment, self-confidence, and individuality, and speak to a generation of young people in Indonesia who are seeking to define themselves and their place in the world.
In addition to her music, Ramengvrl is also known for her undeniably distinctive style. Using fashion to reflect her individuality and creativity, she often sports brightly coloured hair and bold makeup. She has become a role model for young people in Indonesia who are seeking to express themselves through fashion and personal style.
Ramengvrl’s success has not gone unnoticed by the wider music industry. She has collaborated with a number of artists across the globe, such as JVKE, Ph-1 and Euro, displaying her appeal to both Indonesian and international listeners. She has also performed at major music festivals across the region, such as We The Fest, Asian Sound Syndicate and FLAVS. Now, she takes on IT’S THE SHIP.
Looking to the future, Ramengvrl shows no signs of slowing down. She has a number of upcoming projects and collaborations in the works, and her dedicated fan base is eagerly awaiting her next release. As she continues to push the boundaries of what it means to be a hip-hop artist in Indonesia, Ramengvrl is proving herself to be a force to be reckoned with in the music scene.
Partygoers onboard the ship marvelled as Ramengvrl spat her hard-hitting bars on stage, filling the air with an exhilarating buzz. After her highly-anticipated live performance, ZYRUPMAG had the opportunity to sit down with her for an interview.
ZYRUPMAG: What were you looking forward to most when you found out that you were going to be performing at IT’S THE SHIP this year?
Ramengvrl: Honestly, I was actually a little bit nervous just because when I look at the lineup, I feel like it’s a very EDM-centric lineup, you know what I mean? Maybe this might not be the crowd that I’m used to, but hey, go out of your comfort zone. I’m actually really excited. There are a lot of side activities, and a lot of my friends are also playing. Also, the signal on the ship isn’t exactly good, so I’m like, “Yes! I’m stuck here with my friends! We can’t go anywhere. We need to talk to each other. We’re stuck. Love it!”.
Z: When you were on stage yesterday, we could see the entire crowd vibing with you. How did you find that experience?
R: Here’s the thing. I always tell people that the crowd always gives off energy, and we give our energy back. So it’s like a back-and-forth thing. Even though I think not a lot of people know me in the crowd, I feel like they were just vibing with me. They’re just party people, you know. They just want to vibe, and they just want to feel the moment. So I’m really, really happy that I can actually kind of resonate with that energy as well. I was feeling buzzed after that.
Z: What was your creative process when selecting the set list for yesterday’s show?
R: So my thought was, here are some people who obviously want to party, but at the same time, out of these people, some of them most likely don’t know me yet. So I felt like, okay, what is the best way to put on my hit songs, but also songs that were not all banger music? That’s why yesterday I put on my ‘this is what falling in love feels like’ remix, and also ‘Onto The Next’, which is also a hit. Even though I know these people just want to party and everything, I feel like it’s also a great opportunity to showcase that, “Hey, I can do a lot.”
You spoke about ‘this is what falling in love feels like’, and I just want to talk about it a little more. Your remix has actually gotten 2 million streams on Spotify. How did you feel when you saw the numbers grow so high?
I’m actually not the type of person who puts out stuff and then just looks at the data. I’m just not a very data person, I’m more of a qualitative person. So the one who told me about it was my manager, and I was like, “What the fuck?” I mean, of course, it feels good. But at the same time, it’s like, okay, 2 million people who I would assume didn’t know me then would actually find out there’s this rapper called Ramengvrl and she can actually kill a beat like this. Wow.
How did the collaboration with JVKE even come about?
So I have been following JVKE for the past year before the collaboration even happened. He’s always there on my feed on TikTok. Then, for some reason, their management hit me up. I don’t know how or why. Maybe I commented something, I don’t even know. Sometimes the universe works in very weird ways, but then their management hit me up. They wanted a remix and, okay, so we got it.
How would you describe the sound of Ramengvrl in your own words?
It’s bubbly, kawaii gangster music. I think that’s the best way. I don’t really know how to describe it in genres. We can always say hip-hop, pop, whatever, but I think that’s a better way to describe it.
You’ve gotten so much success now in the industry and everything. Is there pressure when it comes to expectations of hitting certain milestones, or does that actually fuel you to do more, and do better?
There’s definitely pressure. Back when I started in 2017 or something, I definitely felt that for a few years after. You just wanted to prove yourself, especially coming from Indonesia, you know, it’s very conservative. Like 99% of the rappers are all males. You always just want to prove yourself, and then after you get this, it continues with “what’s next, what’s next, what’s next”. But now I’m not too stuck on it or see it as such a burden. If we get it, that’s because we’re supposed to get it. And if we don’t, well, it’s not the end of the world, you can just have fun.
In 2017, you actually quit your office job to start music. What made you take that leap and say, “I want to do music”?
Well, first of all, I hate office work. Here’s the thing. I always respect people who do their own thing. If they’re good at their office job, cool. But that’s not for me. It’s not that I don’t like having a boss. It’s just that I don’t know if it’s right for the skill set that I actually have. I feel like people can really feel alienated when they do not have the opportunity to actualize themselves through their work. And that’s how I felt when I was, still being a corporate slave, or whatever they call it. But the moment I realised I want to do music and that I want to quit my job. I didn’t just say, “fuck this shit, like, bye.” No, I actually waited for like six months or something because I’m an only child, my parents rely on me and all that stuff. Like, I’ve got to survive, I’ve got to bring bread to the table too. So I waited for a couple of months just in case the music plan didn’t work out. Apparently, it worked out, so, thank God.
Last question, any advice for people who want to enter the music industry, specifically from Southeast Asia?
I would say, do whatever you can to make people listen to your music. I mean, obviously, you already know the drill, right? You already know, “Oh, this is what I gotta do to make good music, to be better at making music.” Of course, you already know that. But sometimes musicians forget they also need to put in the work to market their music too because, at the end of the day, you want people to listen to your music. I made this mistake too. If you don’t, or you’re not willing to do what it takes for people to actually know about you and your music, then, yeah, it’s kind of hard to go anywhere because musicians have such a big ego. I know that for sure. But, it actually takes guts to put down that ego a little bit and really see the bigger picture.
Stream Ramengvrl on Spotify here. For more information on IT’S THE SHIP, visit here.
This interview has been edited for brevity. Original interview by Joel Lim. Article written by Ku Jia Yi and Joel Lim.
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