By Trista Kurniawan, NCS
Hong Kong (NCS) — A new lady group from Asia has social media turning its head. But this time, they’re not from South Korea – they’re from Indonesia.
The four-member group No Na became an in a single day sensation earlier this yr after the music video for his or her new music “Work” went viral, racking up greater than 9.5 million listens on Spotify in simply two months, and an identical quantity on YouTube.
Its electrical choreography even impressed a dance problem after many marveled at a backbend carried out by one of many band’s members.
They’re hardly the primary Asian group to achieve reputation abroad; mega Ok-pop teams have usually topped world charts prior to now decade. But Southeast Asia has but to penetrate the Western market the identical means – particularly a group as happy with their heritage as No Na.
“I didn’t know Indonesian pop was doing it like THIS???” stated one viral submit on X with 44,000 likes.
“Wait, who are these divas?” one other posted.
In an interview with NCS, the 4 women – Esther, Baila, Christy, and Shaz – stated they hoped to introduce a world viewers to their archipelago nation, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. They even pointed to their outfits’ refined nods to batik, Indonesia’s conventional clothes.
Their music, with lyrics in (sometimes expletive-laden) English, could enchantment to Western listeners as a result of it incorporates devices they’d by no means heard earlier than, stated the group.
“We went for something that sounds a little familiar to people, but also mixing Indonesian elements into it,” stated Esther, the primary vocalist. “I think it’s a strategic way to try to catch on to the mainstream audience, while also maintaining our individualism as Indonesians through our music.”
Southeast Asia’s flip?
Born and raised in Indonesia, the members took a leap of religion and moved to Los Angeles to kind No Na, debuting in May 2025 after two to 3 years of coaching.
From the beginning, they highlighted their Indonesian identification – even all the way down to their title. “No Na” means “Miss” in Bahasa, their nationwide language.
The video for “Work” opens with clanging Balinese cymbals referred to as ceng-ceng, and No Na’s songs usually incorporate different conventional devices such because the gamelan, an ensemble set from Java and Bali, and suling, a standard bamboo flute from West Java.
In their debut music video for the music “Shoot,” they’re seen in lush rice terraces and cascading waterfalls in Bali.
“We always try to ask the team to include elements from our Indonesian culture, whether that’s our clothes, music and choreography,” stated Shaz, the youngest member of the group, who’re all of their 20s.
They added that their “island girl” identification can also be a nod to their upbringing in a rustic of 17,000 islands.
“The concept of an island girl is someone who’s more playful, who’s carefree, who doesn’t really take things too seriously, and goes with the flow. And I would love for people to listen to our music and feel exactly that,” Esther stated.
They be a part of quite a lot of Southeast Asian musicians on the rise – together with Indonesian artists Niki and Rich Brian, each represented by No Na’s file label 88rising. Eight-member Philippine lady group BINI carried out at Coachella earlier this month, 4 years after Thai rapper Milli carried out on the California pageant.
These artists’ success alerts a rising urge for food overseas for Asian leisure – most evident within the reputation of Ok-pop, with megastar teams like BTS and Blackpink drawing in Western audiences whereas mixing modern beats with conventional Korean tradition. In March, BTS carried out a live-streamed comeback concert in entrance of South Korea’s historic Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Among younger Americans and Westerners, a fascination with Asia goes past music too. From Labubus to the viral Adidas Tang jacket, social media in current months has grow to be more and more engrossed by Chinese tradition and aesthetics, a phenomenon generally generally known as “Chinamaxxing.”
Sensing a profitable market, world industries at the moment are pivoting towards the area. Eurovision is debuting in Asia in 2026, with the grand finale to be staged in Bangkok. The contributors are from 10 international locations, together with South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia and Laos.
No Na is driving this wave, with a current efficiency at a music pageant in Tokyo – and one other music pageant scheduled in LA later this yr.
But their greatest aspiration leads them again dwelling.
“Dream venue would be a big concert back in Indonesia. We’ve never done that before, but we have to,” Baila stated.
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