ART + CULTURE

INDONESIANS IN 88RISING: MEET RICH BRIAN, NIKI, STEPHANIE POETRI, WARREN HUE

Get to know more about Rich Brian, NIKI, Stephanie Poetri and Warren Hue, who are 88 Rising artists from Indonesia.

11.04.2022
BY WILHEMINA BOWEN
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In the global music industry, the name 88rising is no longer unfamiliar. Sean Miyashiro and Jaeson Ma founded the multinational music company, formerly known as CXSHXNLY, in 2015. The label caters primarily to Asian Americans and Asian artists looking to release music in the United States.

Four Indonesians are among the artists listed under 88rising. While their names are no longer foreign to the general public, let us delve deeper into their discography and how they came to be.

Rich Brian

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by RICH BRIAN (@brianimanuel)


Brain Imanuel Soewarno, most commonly known as Rich Brian, is a Chinese-Indonesian born in Jakarta. His debut single, Dat $tick, which was released on March 11, 2016, caught international success after 88rising uploaded a reaction video featuring rappers Ghostface Killah, 21 Savage, Tory Lanex, MadeinTYO, Desiigner, and more. 

Since then, he has managed to go on several tours around the world and released more music including 2 studio albums called “Amen” and “The Sailor". He was also featured in a few collaboration songs with artists like Diplo, Joji, Higher Brother, Jackson Wang, Chungha, DJ Snake, and others. 

NIKI

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by NIKI (@nikizefanya)


Nicole Zefanya, or NIKI, is an Indonesian singer, songwriter, and record producer under 88rising. Her songs mainly centered around R&B and indie folk. Under 88rising, she released two singles, “See U Never” and “I Like U.” Then, she released her first single for her extended debut called “Zephyr.”

Her music influences range from artists like Boyz II Men, Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Kirk Franklin, and Aaliyah. She is featured in the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings soundtrack with the title track Every Summertime and is involved in 5 tracks in the album. 

She stated that it is her mission to empower Asians and Asian Americans through her music. 

Stephanie Poetri

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Stephanie Poetri (@stephaniepoetri)


Stephanie Poetri Dougharty's first breakthrough as a singer came from her single, “I Love You 3000” which came out on June 3, 2019. With the inspiration for the song coming from Avengers: Endgame, it amassed 425 million streams online. 

She won the Best New Asian Artist–Indonesia at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards. In addition, a remix of the song released in the 88rising’s Head in the Clouds II album titled “I Love You 3000 II” featured former Got7 member, Jackson Wang. 

Her debut EP AM: PM was released on March 12, 2021, followed by the single "Selfish" in December 2020.

Warren Hue

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by boyoftheyear (@warrenhue)


The 18-year-old rapper joins 88rising as the fourth Indonesian artist. Warren Hue made his international debut with the song "Freaks," a collaboration with Atarashii Gakko!, a fellow 88rising artist from Japan.

Hue began his musical career at the age of 16 under the stage name Warrenisyellow. He stated that the name is the same one he uses when playing video games. When he heard Eminem's Till I Collapse, he fell in love with hip hop and decided to become a rapper. On January 20, 2022, he released a song titled "Getcho Mans" with Rich Brian.

#THE S MEDIA #Media Milenial #rich brian #niki #stephanie poetri #warren hue #88 rising

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