Meghalaya rapper Reble returns with provocative single exploring hypocrisy, faith, power and hidden personal strength
Having made a name for herself in the indie music circuit, singer Daiaphi Lamare or Reble as she is better known, is back with her latest edgy single in English. ‘Praying Mantis’ delivers on its evocative title with its pointed Rap lyrics and smooth hip-hop beats. It was released on May 7, with the video following a week later. Much like the predatorial insect it is named after, which to outward appearances seems calm but is a ruthless killer beneath, Reble’s new song focuses on her hidden strength.
Explaining the song, she says, “Praying Mantis is built on one double entendre that does all the heavy lifting: pray and prey are the same act, performed by the same people. At its core, the song is about religious hypocrisy. Those who label me an antichrist for making music are the same people who bow down to corrupt, exploitative figures who use faith and tradition as cover. That contradiction is the entire point. The mantis looks devout. It is hunting. The refrain, ‘Pray then prey just like a mantis’, does not let anyone off the hook. It applies to followers as much as the figures they idolize. Both perform piety. Both are predatory. The world the song moves through is one where hate dresses itself in the language of religion, and synthetic morality gets mistaken for principle.”
A rapper and songwriter from Meghalaya, India, Reble is arguably one of the leading voices of Indian hip-hop. Her work has led to her becoming a creative champion from India’s Northeast region. Reble’s music straddles the streams of hip-hop, trap, and alternative, and is built on raw lyricism and unconventional flows. Her punk-laced stage presence further sets her apart in the South Asian rap scene.
Her success was hard-won and came after numerous singles became popular. These include ‘New Riot’, ‘Terror’, ‘Set It Off’, and ‘Killswitch’. She landed on Rolling Stone India’s Future of Music list in April 2025, and later that year, contributed to the soundtrack of the Malayalam film Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, followed by appearing on three tracks for the wildly successful film Dhurandhar, now known as one of the highest-grossing Hindi films in history. Her tracks on that film, including ‘Naal Nachna’ and ‘Run Down The City’, firmly put her in the mainstream league. She now boasts over 11.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with 150M+ streams and counting across her entire catalogue.
Reble’s music straddles the streams of hip-hop, trap, and alternative, and is built on raw lyricism and unconventional flows.
2026 brought with it four more successful credits for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. She also performed at the North East Music Festival, Rising Bharat Summit, Sole DXB in Dubai, XP Music Futures in Riyadh, Rolling Loud India, UN40 and the NH7 Weekender. A pop-up cypher in Shillong event went viral across social media, and she was also honoured as the Breakout Star of the Year (Editors’ Special) at the Cosmopolitan Blogger & Creator Awards this year.
Homegrown Music, which released the record, is a joint-venture music label between Homegrown and Atlantic Records (part of Warner Music Global). Its global roster includes artists such as Dua Lipa, Fred again.., Rosé, Coldplay, and Bruno Mars, along with next-generation Indian artists such as Reble, OAFF and Prateek Kuhad.
“Homegrown Music is dedicated to spotlighting the next wave of artists shaping contemporary sounds from India and South Asia. Our goal is to champion crossover artists from the region while also creating a platform for established talent to explore new mediums of creative expression. One of our first label signings, Reble, kicked off her journey with New Riot, in collaboration with Parimal Shais, which has amassed over four million streams in total. To support her growth, we activated a robust on-ground and digital strategy to build momentum around her releases,” say cultural entrepreneurs and siblings Varun and Varsha Patra, the founders of the label.
The song has been produced and composed by Lifted with lyrics written by Reble herself. The mixing and mastering is by Akash Shravan, and Aniket Mohanty was the recording engineer. The dark visuals of the video, perfectly complementing the song’s message, can be credited to director Vimal and editor Anush Surya Kumar. The video features Alethea Tariang, Amy M Rani, Clareen Khyriem, Dorothea Tariang, Elynne Lyngdoh, Hazel Mukhim, Niharika Debbarma, Susana M Khyriem, with the Jeepers Family and Maniacs on Big Bikes making an appearance.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.
