Bingkai Karya-Amid the small number of female rappers in Indonesia, Cécil Yang has emerged as a standout. After a successful collaboration with Laleilmanino and Diskoria on the single “Djakarta,” Cécil is now ready to release her debut solo single titled “321 (I’m Callin’).” She wrote the lyrics herself, with the melody created by Gamaliel.
Cécil, born on November 12, 1998, explained that “321 (I’m Callin’)” wasn’t initially planned as her debut song. “I started working on this song in April. There were some changes to the beat because it didn’t quite fit with the melody and lyrics. The whole process took about a month, and I’m pretty satisfied and proud of the result because it’s really different from anything I’ve sung before. I chose this song as my debut because I love trying new things and challenging myself.”
Releasing a debut single can be challenging for any musician, and Cécil was no exception. Even though she’s not new to the hip-hop scene, she still faced challenges working on her first song with Floor Inc. “Here, I had to slightly change my usual rap style. Before, I used a lower tone and the lyrics were a bit rough, but this time I made some adjustments. I’ve received a lot of criticism over time, and I tried to learn from that. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to do it. I also experimented with new music, so I had to adapt a bit,” Cécil explained.
Cécil’s hopes
Although her genre is rap, Cécil hopes the message in “321 (I’m Callin’)” can resonate with everyone, especially women. “My message is that as women, we need to have self-love because if we don’t love ourselves, who will? This sense of self-love also makes me proud to be a female rapper in Indonesia, where we can create freely and receive a lot of support.” Being part of a minority in the music industry doesn’t worry Cécil too much. “I don’t feel as much concern as I do excitement about being with a major label and hoping to create music that people love. Since there aren’t many female rappers in Indonesia, and few are brave enough to dive into this genre, I think our presence should be appreciated more.”
Cécil hopes that by joining Floor Inc., she can fulfill her dream of making hip-hop more popular. “I want to make hip-hop more widely heard and not just something that’s ‘for us, by us,’ meaning it’s only enjoyed by a certain group. I want hip-hop to compete with pop, ballads, and all the trending music genres because Indonesian hip-hop is just as good as Western hip-hop and has many talented rappers. One day, I also want to mix traditional music with hip-hop, not just from Indonesia, but from any country. Please wish me luck that this dream can come true,” Cécil concluded.
