As a child, Reble often felt she was watching life from the sidelines. Now, at 24, the rapper has become one of the most compelling new voices in Indian hip-hop.
Hailing from the rain-soaked hills of Meghalaya in India's northeast, Reble raps in English as well as Khasi and Jaintia - indigenous languages spoken by tribal communities in the region - and writes about distance, reinvention and survival with an emotional restraint that feels unusually deliberate.
Until recently, she was known mostly within Shillong's close-knit music circles, in a city better known for rock bands, church choirs and old guitar legends than hip-hop. Her breakout moment came with Dhurandhar, the Bollywood action film whose soundtrack introduced millions to her cool, clipped delivery. On tracks like Run Down the City: Monica, Naal Nachna and Move - Yeh Ishq Ishq, Reble's restrained verses cut through the film's louder, more chaotic energy, quickly making her a fan favourite.
Her latest single, Praying Mantis, which released this week, has once again made her a talking point, with fans dissecting the dark, hypnotic track online. Reble's rise reflects a wider shift, as artists from India's northeast begin finding audiences far beyond the region.
That stubbornness was shaped early in life. Before the stage name, she was Daiaphi Lamare, a girl moving through boarding schools with what she now describes as a constant feeling of being out of place. Young Reble, she says, laughing softly, was always by herself. No friends. Sitting in one corner. Everybody was like, who's that weird girl?
Reble insists she dislikes writing. I can't write, she says bluntly, pointing to scattered notes and unfinished scribbles as her writing process. But despite this contradiction, her songs resonate, illustrating the tension between local identity and global influences. Her recent past, framed by struggles and reinventions, draws her audience in, inviting them to share in her journey.
In her own words, Coming out from a region like that, I feel very proud. Reble's story is not just about personal success; it reflects a fragmented identity finding a voice, elevating the unique cultural fabric of Meghalaya onto a larger stage.
