Jun 03, 2026 7:10pm IST
Reble: ‘I Declined Many Offers After ‘Dhurandhar’ (EXCLUSIVE)
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Reble, 24, is an overnight success, given "Dhurandhar" and "Dhurandhar: The Revenge"'s all-conquering run and the visibility that came with it. But before the two OSTs, she began her hustle in 2018 and then followed a slew of singles: there was "New Riot," "Terror," "Set It Off" and "Killswitch." She went on to contribute in Malayalam film "Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra" as well.
The rapper-songwriter from Meghalaya lives up to her name and as this conversation with Variety India will prove, is unapologetic and very clear about her art and her process.
What mindspace did ‘Praying Mantis’ come from?
It came from a place of frustration. People kept saying I sold my soul, so I thought I’d show them how. They will never get it though, that’s one thing people don’t understand. It’s not that there exists an actual problem, they just aren’t too happy that it isn’t them and they like to believe that everyone who comes from the same place should be within the same boundaries as them.
‘Selling your soul for fame and success’ is a thing you hear in Indian households. Especially when it seemingly comes quite quickly. Thoughts?
Yeah and I do enjoy mocking people who are so envious that they genuinely believe something like that exists. People like to believe that they are better and seeing someone do something big is not a very good feeling for such individuals so they project. They need a narrative that says, “Reble is evil, she compromised,” than actually admit that I worked hard enough to make a name for myself. Blame gives them comfort, a little dilution they cling on to, so the world makes sense to them as per their narrative. Again, it’s a cognitive problem.
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Your verse sounds informed and self-aware. How do you strike a balance between playing to the gallery and saying what you want to?
I don’t try to appease or please people, I make my art. Some people don’t understand the concept of my art. When you don’t understand something, it’s easier for some of them to criticise than decipher. Now I’m not responsible for someone’s inability to understand the depths of my work so I don’t bother. It considers it a cognitive problem. I make my music and most of my fans understand me and even if they don’t initially, they take their time and put in effort to consume and decipher. Art is not a textbook, it’s supposed to be non-linear.
Between 1 and 10, how much do you love double entendres?
Hmm, I write a lot of double entendres. It’s my favourite wordplay. It’s always there in most of my songs. I definitely love it 10/10.
What was the best thing about working with LIFTED?
LIFTED is from Los Angeles and it was my first international collaboration. He’s such an amazing producer and I love his 808s, they’re what we call “hard”!
How, when and why did you go from Daiaphi Lamare to Daya to Reble?
Daiaphi Lamare is my actual name. Daya is what my friends, classmates, etc would call me. Reble is the alter ego. I decided to have Reble as my stage name because my parents always told me I had to become a doctor, an engineer or an officer of some sort and I wanted something that represented me and the anger I harboured because I never wanted a white-collared job. Also, I never wanted them to find out I was doing music.
Who would you say are continuing influences to the way you rhyme?
Life, good art like movies, or any form of art influences the way I rhyme.
Most of what you write feels personal. How do you make it feel universal?
Like I said I just write, and the human emotion is always universal anyways.
What would you say makes a girl from Nangbah, Meghalaya, resonate with the rest of India?
A girl from a small village in West Jaintia Hills is only human after all. How different are we? Not much. Like someone told me, we’re more alike than different. What differs is our ability to understand things and polish our philosophy and overall outlook on life . But emotions, they are universal.
In most interviews, your listed influences are men. No women rappers on your list? Any reason why?
Because I like the rappers I listened to. Who cares if it was a man or a woman, I liked the music and they happened to be men. Now that’s not my problem, I like what I like. If someone asked me who I listened to in the RnB space, I’d say Rihanna, Yonce (Beyonce), Christina (Aguilera), etc. Now who’s gonna ask me where the men are?
Starting out in 2018, how much would you say your sound has changed?
It has definitely progressed and will always get better as I get going. What are you living for, if you’re not constantly trying to be a better version of yourself?
What does a cypher do for an upcoming rapper?
It gives them a community and a playground for practice and exposure now that we have the internet.
If you had to pick a breakthrough track of yours, which one would it be?
I don’t wanna pick anything, let it be consumed and figured out. People will eventually like what they like and I’m okay with that, it’s a part of the process, it’s art. What I don’t like is people having a lot of say because of their very own inability to process a concept. For me, when I don’t understand, I don’t say shit. I only have an opinion once I know what I’m talking about. Most of them miss the forest for the trees, and I bet they won’t understand what that idiom even means. They’d say, “the trees are the forest! This sentence makes no sense, blah blah blah”. Yeah a lot of people don’t understand poetry sadly and it’s one thing that actually bothers me.
Is a rapper only as good as the producer they work with? Words can only take you so far...
Yes, it’s true. This art form is a mix of poetry and melody. Your music is only as good as your production, you need to be in sync with the sonics. And music to be honest, it’s more sound than anything else.
What will it take for another Reble to emerge from the NorthEast?
Opportunities, it’d take opportunities being available.
Bollywood thrives on repetitions. So 'Dhurandhar' and the follow-up happened. You think producers, composers here can invest in something like Shashwat did? Are the offers coming your way expecting you to do similar stuff? Or experimental stuff is coming your way?
I’ve declined many offers. I wanna work on something with someone I resonate with. Me and Sha have good musical chemistry. He’s a gem.
You've also done a song for 'Lokah: Chapter 1'. What was the one thing you found different about working on a Malayalam song?
I love the movie “Lokah” and that’s what I meant when I said I wanna work on things I resonate with.
Have albums become vanity projects?
Art is a vanity project.
Sonically, what will a Reble album/EP be expected to sound like?
It’s gonna be noisy, distorted, and raw.
Any dream collaborations coming up?
No dream collab right now.
Things you'd like to change about the music industry?
We can show more respect towards people who make good conceptual art, we need to value good art for we have amazing talent out here.
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