Meet Reble: India’s rising rap star

Meghalaya-born Daiaphi Lamare, better known as rapper Reble, released the single ‘New Riot’ last October. Produced by Kerala beatsmith Parimal Shais and featuring a nu-metal edge delivered by guitarist Krishn M. Sujith, the slick, goth and industrial-aesthetic music video (featuring MMA fighters, dancers, black goop dripping from Reble’s eyes) recently hit a million views on YouTube. Looking back, Reble says over the phone from Guwahati, where she is now based, “Obviously, it was an easy pick, to choose music, because I didn’t want to do a 9-to-5 job.”

The 24-year-old, who finished her civil engineering course in Bengaluru last year (and rapped for the promo song of Malayalam hit Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra in August), released her music via Homegrown Records, which has a partnership with the globally renowned Atlantic Records, home to the likes of Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Cardi B. In December, she had three songs on the blockbuster soundtrack to Dhurandhar, composed by Shashwat Sachdev.

Originally intending to have her just on ‘Move’ (which adapts Mohammed Rafi’s peppy ‘Yeh Ishq Ishq’ from 1960), which went into the movie trailer, Sachdev found Reble’s fast-paced, no-holds-barred English rap suited more songs, leading to ‘Run Down The City – Monica’, adapted from R.D. Burman’s zingy 1971 number ‘Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja’, and later the original composition ‘Naal Nachna’.

All three songs — much like the full soundtrack of the Bollywood actioner — took off, with people surprised at how well a Gen Z rapper could fit alongside a classic voice like Sonu Nigam on ‘Move’. “It’s an introduction for people to this rap thing, because otherwise, Bollywood songs have this typical soundscape,” she says, adding that the soundtrack also had fellow rappers Hanumankind and Tsumyoki, perhaps exposing Bollywood music fans to English rap from India for the first time.

Collabs, home and away

Having followed Reble’s rap from her very first releases — with Shillong artists such as D-Mon from seasoned hip-hop act Khasi Bloodz — it’s safe to say that the artist from Nangbah in the West Jaintia Hills had her mind set on music from the very start. Shillong and other cities in Meghalaya have often gravitated towards English music, like most of the Northeast. There is a familiarity with everything from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Linkin Park and Weezer, and Reble credits her taste in music to friends and family alike.

“I take all that rage, anger, stress… everything, and just project it into something more positive. There’s a lot of ways to vent, one way is to just make music”Reble

Rapping from the age of 10, inspired by American heavyweights such as André 3000 from OutKast, Notorious B.I.G. and Eminem, she started off with the moniker Daya in 2018, and by 2019, became Reble. “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 once told Gulf News in an interview.

Her early songs such as ‘BAD’ (2019) pulsed with rage about growing up in a dysfunctional home, but then later numbers like ‘Believe’ brimmed with positive energy, with lines going: Ma, I promise I’ma make it/ Trust me, someday I’ll be touring places.

In the last year or so, Reble has hit up all the big stages in India — Spotify Rap91 Live in Mumbai, Boiler Room in Gurugram, Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong. Up next is the inaugural edition of UN40: Music & Beyond festival in Bengaluru next month. In December, she travelled for her first international shows: XP Music Futures conference and showcase festival in Riyadh and Sole DXB in Dubai.

She’s had brands lining up for collaboration, but has also been teaming up independently with artists such as Ranchi hip-hopper Tre Ess (‘Opening Act’ and ‘Terror’), Shillong musician Kim The Beloved (‘Set It Off’) and Ahmedabad maverick Dhanji and producer Clifr (‘Only Uparwala Can Judge Me’). “I think since last year, a lot of things started happening very rapidly. And I think it happened way before I could even process it,” she says.

More singles in 2026

Reble is a live-wire on stage, projecting various personas and alter-egos in her performances.

While early material had Reble doing a bit of soulful singing as well, the latest single ‘New Riot’ goes all out, inspired by bands like Deftones. She laughs about how she’s drawn to heavier music and points to how the Indian metal community has “the nicest people” because “all the rage is let out through the music”. She explains, “For me, it’s the same. I take all that rage, anger, stress… everything, and just project it into something more positive. There’s a lot of ways to vent, one way is to make music.”

A live-wire on stage, projecting various personas and alter-egos, it might surprise some to know that Reble is an unassuming person off stage. “When you meet [me in] person, it’s like everything combined, so then it becomes a very different experience. I think it does give people a bit of a shock,” she says with a laugh.

After Dhurandhar, many musicophiles are hoping for a Reble-Hanumankind collaboration. Reble did support the ‘Big Dawgs’ hitmaker at his Bengaluru show in 2023 and is all praise for the doors he has opened for English rap from India on the global stage. “We meet here and there, I see him every once in a while, and he’s always been very supportive. But apart from that, I don’t think I look too much into how and what he’s doing, because I think every journey is very unique, and there’s no absolute formula for any artist,” she says.

Reble is positive that she’s “going to have a different path” but is glad for the “confirmation” that comes with Hanumankind’s global breakout. With Dhurandhar and Lokah behind her, there are potential film songs in the offing, but Reble is not signing on just for the clout and reach that the Indian film music space provides. “I really want to like what I’m doing. I think 2026 is going to have a lot of singles,” she signs off.

The writer is a Bengaluru-based independent music journalist.

Published – February 06, 2026 06:00 am IST