Meet Reble: The rising star of Indian rap who shines in Bollywood blockbuster 'Dhurandhar'

Think of her as a dragon in a skirt; she spits fire with the drop of a beat. Reble, 24-year-old Indian Daiaphi Lamare’s alter ego, has been years in the making but today she commands the spotlight like a pro. With her recent contribution to Ranveer Singh’s blockbuster Dhurandhar (catch it on OTT at the end of the month if you haven’t managed a see), the practising veteran is finding new fans competing with old as she strums out edgy lyrics with quiet confidence wrapped up with a bow of conviction.

With the Bollywood blockbuster, she raps on Naal Nachna, Run Down The City – Monica (a remix of Asha Bhosle's Piya Tu Ab To Aja) and Move (a remix of Yeh Hai Ishq Ishq), Reble proves that music is a living language, changing with time, evolving with rhythm, and often finding fans where it’s least expected.

“Dhurandhar was a very special project for me because it was my first time doing something within the Bollywood industry. It wasn’t planned at all — it honestly came together at the last moment. Everything just happened very organically,” Reble tells Gulf News in an interview, adding that the inspiration for her verses came from the characters. “We didn’t take long to write anything; most of the songs were finished within hours. Sha is an incredible producer and composer, and we both worked really fast. The energy was right, and everything came together quickly,” she adds.

Early days

Lamare was born in Nangbah, West Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, and spent her formative years there in the cradle of northeast India’s musical grove.

Her first brush with melody, she explains, came through a telephone. “I was around four or five years old when I heard a melody on a telephone line, and I remember being completely taken by it. I still remember that melody to this day. That moment stayed with me, and that’s when I knew I wanted to do something with music.”

By 11, she told Republic World, she had found her medium of expression; she had found and begun to experiment with rap, which she is quick to note ‘doesn’t require formal training to write’. “Rap requires soul, passion, understanding, and the ability to express emotions authentically. That’s it. You don’t need rules or formulas for that,” she explains.

In 2018, she started playing professionally with local group Symphonic Movement under the moniker Daya. “At the time, I didn’t want my family to find out that I was doing music, so I decided to change my name. I genuinely thought that if I used a different name, they wouldn’t figure it out,” she tells Gulf News.

At home, the push was to do something ‘acceptable’. “I completed my engineering degree from Visvesvaraya Technological University and was expected to follow the usual nine-to-five path. Music wasn’t really part of that plan, even though it was always who I was,” she muses.

By 2019, however, she had found her wings. “Becoming “Reble” was a way for me to separate myself from expectations and associate myself with something different — something that felt more honest to me. Over time, the name stayed, and it naturally grew into my identity as an artist,” she explains. It was also this year that she released her first single, Bad, attributed to this alter ego.

Since then, her tracks have included Reasons, Manifest, Terror, Set It Off, Kill Switch, East India Cypher, and New Riot.  “My journey definitely began in Meghalaya, but I’ve lived in many places. I’ve stayed in Guwahati, Shillong, West Jaintia Hills, and Bangalore. Every place I’ve lived in has influenced me in its own way. I carry a piece of every city within me, and that’s what reflects in my music. My music is really the outcome of all these places coming together,” she says.

 As a teen trying to find her style, Reble was helped along by the artists and bands she listened to – among them RHCP, MGMT, Eminem, Biggie, Andre 3000, Linkin Park. “These artists shaped my taste and continue to inspire me in different ways,” she says.

Which is perhaps why one of the languages she’s most comfortable rapping in is English. (She is also fluent in “my local language Jaintia, another local language similar to it, and a bit of Hindi”.)  

And while she does want to represent northeast India, she is quick to point out that responsibility is something that must come from within. “I don’t believe in doing things just for clout. If you want to represent your people, your culture, your country — whatever it may be — it has to come from good intent. I’m very proud of where I come from. I’m proud to be Indian, proud to be from the Northeast, and proud to be from Meghalaya. Representation, for me, should be organic and honest.”

Aside from Dhurandhar, Reble recently showcased her vocals on the Malayalam film Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, for which she also won applause. “The promotion song we did for Lokah did really well in the UAE, and the love I received there was incredible. I just want to say thank you and that I really appreciate the acceptance.”

But even as she travels to perform and spits fire with the conviction of a conqueror, her motivation remains the same as it was when she was four and first heard a refrain over a telephone: “I just want to make good music.”