Rich Brian has experienced a meteoric rise from bedroom Youtuber to global hip-hop superstar, taking listeners on a personal and musical journey with his 2018 debut Amen, followed by 2019’s The Sailor and his quarantine album 1999. With streaming figures in the hundreds of millions (his single “Yellow” has been listened to more than 500 million times alone), the 21-year-old Indonesian singer, rapper and producer has firmly cemented his place as a leading artist within a genre that lacks Asian representation.
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Born and raised in Jakarta, his real name is Brian Imanuel Soewarno (“I heard about speaking things into existence and wanted to put it to the test”). As a child, he learned English via rap music and American comedies – the primary source of his tongue-in-cheek humour – and posted YouTube videos that eventually caught the attention of Asian music platform 88Rising.
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This month, his latest single “Run It” features in Marvel’s Asian-led epic Shang Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings, with more music on the way. “Just expect me to do the best that I can,” he says. No doubt, anything he puts out will be brilliant.
Below, all the weird and wonderful things you’ve ever wanted to know about Rich Brian.
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What album or song is your guilty pleasure?
“Pogoland” by Robert Rodriguez from the Spy Kids 3-D soundtrack.
Do you have any phobias?
I get scared when I know that a loud noise is coming. It’s not the loudness, more the anticipation of it.
Do you believe in ghosts?
Yes, but I’ve never encountered one, thank God.
You’re on death row; what would be your last three-course meal?
Dry crushed-up ramen, a charcoal-grilled A5 Wagyu with rice, and an Oreo smoothie with boba.
What’s been your strangest encounter with a fan?
Somebody came to my house once, told my grandma he was my friend, and she let him in. He proceeded to check every room and found mine. I was in my drawers.
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Who was your childhood crush?
Chloë Grace Moretz. I remember being 13 and wanting to go to LA just so that I could be her boyfriend.
In an alternate universe, who would you be, and what would you be doing?
I would be a hedge fund manager. That is the furthest thing from who I am now.
What would be your superpower?
Being able to experience anything for the first time again whenever I choose.
Who is your fantasy dinner party guest – dead or alive?
Bruno Mars.
If your house was being burned down, what’s the one object you’d save?
I would save my laptop. I’ve made too many beats for them to just disintegrate.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Any Drake song, really.
What’s your party trick?
I can solve a Rubik’s Cube, and I can crack my thumb an infinite amount of times. It doesn’t stop.
Editor
Soey KimCredit
Lead Image: @brianimanuel via Instagram