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By Salomé Grouard
Aug 14, 2024
Cover With her tour in China and her collaborations with artists such as Jay Park, Awich and Yung Raja, Ramengvrl is slowly but surely taking over Asia’s rapper scene (Photo: courtesy of Ramengvrl)
With her tour in China and her collaborations with artists such as Jay Park, Awich and Yung Raja, Ramengvrl is slowly but surely taking over Asia’s rapper scene (Photo: courtesy of Ramengvrl)
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At Bali’s Suara Festival, Ramengvrl shares with Tatler what it’s like to be a female rapper in Indonesia and why she’s a role model for those who don’t conform to society’s expectations
These days, Putri Estiani—better known under her stage name Ramengvrl—has had more performances outside of her native Indonesia than in it. When Tatler caught up with her at the Suara Festival in Nuanu, that was her first time back on stage in the home country in a while—and it felt that way: the singer and rapper was happy, comfortable and full of energy. “I love my country, it’s so good to be back here,” she says a few hours before taking over the festival’s main stage.
While some of us had a Brat summer, Ramengvrl had a summer of cool collabs. She was featured in Korean-American artist Jay Park’s song Xtra McNasty, alongside the region’s biggest names such as K-pop rapper Jessi, Thai artist Milli, Japanese rapper Lil Cherry and more. She also just dropped Bombae with Japanese rapper Awich—a fun empowering anthem that has already accumulated fifty thousand views on YouTube. And that was after she finished her first successful tour in China, where she performed in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.
“When I was in China, I realised how different my audiences were,” she says. “My Chinese audience responds more to my ‘gangsta rap’ tracks, while my Southeast Asian fans prefer when I perform more day-to-day and relatable songs.”
Read more: Awich, the queen of Japanese hip-hop, on growing strong from tragedy, raising a young daughter and prejudice against women in her industry
Cementing her place in Indonesia and beyond
Ramengvrl shares that when she started uploading her music on Soundcloud in 2014, not only was hip-hop a niche in Indonesia but she was also one of the few women practising hip-hop at that time.
“I want to look at it positively: because I was the first, it made me a pioneer, so I benefited from being under the spotlight,” she says. “[But at the same time] people were expecting a lot from me. Maybe too much.”
With all eyes on her, Ramengvrl felt she had to prove herself to the industry and the public. “I had to prove that I could rap fast—as if it was important—but I also had to make sure I looked good and feminine.”
Read more: Indie K-pop artist Lim Kim on challenging racism, singing about women empowerment and collaborating with 1milliondance studio
Fifty million combined streams, four wins at the AMI awards and a few movie soundtracks later (including Joy Ride [2023] by Adele Lim), it’s safe to say that she has indeed “proved” herself.
However, she still feels the pressure of her culture. “Indonesia is a very conservative country,” she says. “People don’t necessarily relate to a girl like me. I’m too badass, too independent, and that’s not necessarily what people want to look like. I still have to be very careful of my physical appearance, to not show too much skin in my public and TV appearances.”
Ramengvrl doesn’t want to complain though. Her love for Indonesia, and especially her hometown Jakarta, is obvious, and she happily embraces the role of an ambassador and shares her favourite spots in the city. “I want to show the world what Indonesia and Southeast Asia can bring to the global culture,” she says, “So even if I rap and sing in English, I want to add as many references about my culture as possible.”
Read more: Indonesian artist Ramengvrl’s ultimate night out in Jakarta, from where to find the best music to the best brunch spot for the next day
Above Ramengvrl live (Photo: courtesy of Sunny Cheah)
Ramengvrl live (Photo: courtesy of Sunny Cheah)
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Creating a safe space for those who don’t conform to societal norms
A non-conformist herself in every sense of the term, Ramengvrl has become a role model for people who do not abide by society’s expectations.
“Since my early days, my message has been ‘be proud of yourself’. I don’t want people to change themselves to fit into a mold, or to fit into society’s conservative standards. I want people to feel represented when they look at the top charts of the music industry.”
This message, found in songs like I Am Me (2018) or Bossy (2023), is more than just words for Ramengvrl, as it’s a mantra that she follows in her personal life and career: “Despite not being accepted by everyone, I still thrive. I’m confident and brave enough to speak my truth.”
Above Ramengvrl and Awich for their single “Bombae” (Photo: courtesy of Ramengvrl)
Above Ramengvrl and Awich for their single “Bombae” (Photo: courtesy of Ramengvrl)
Ramengvrl and Awich for their single “Bombae” (Photo: courtesy of Ramengvrl)
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With this philosophy in mind, Ramengvrl collaborates with like-minded artists such as Japanese rapper Awich with whom she just released Bombae. “I've been a fan of Awich [for years], and when we met in Japan, we just clicked,” she says. “We’ve always tried to push boundaries, especially as female artists in a male-dominated genre, and we always want to push Asian hip-hop to the world. So this collaboration came about naturally.”
In Bombae, the two rappers share some exclusive BTS of their performance at Jakarta’s Asian Sound Syndicate, dancing together while wearing sporty sunglasses. In Ramengvrl’s case, this particular accessory has almost become a part of her signature look, which she has cultivated for years. While she loves rocking her Balenciaga and Palm Angels glasses, when she started out, she didn’t have a definite style or a lot of money to buy “cool clothes”, she confesses.
“I was asked to wear white sunglasses like Kurt Cobain’s iconic ones for a photo shoot, she says. “It became quite iconic at the time, especially with my Anna Wintour bob haircut. [But I continue to keep the sunglasses on] because I suspect I have photophobia. I cannot really see super-bright lights—and there are a lot of bright lights in this industry.”
For now, it seems that the lights will continue to shine on her as she is working on a new song with a Chinese artist, which will drop later this year—as she reveals exclusively to Tatler. Stay tuned for the song’s name and the date of release.
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Topics
Ramengvrl Indonesia Jakarta Asian female rapper Collaboration
