From misfit to rap sensation: A 'Reble' storms into Indian hip-hop

As a child, Reble often felt she was watching life from the sidelines. Now, at 24, the rapper has become one of the most compelling new voices in Indian hip-hop.Hailing from the rain-soaked hills of Meghalaya in India's northeast, Reble raps in English as well as Khasi and Jaintia - indigenous languages spoken by tribal communities in the region - and writes about distance, reinvention and survival with an emotional restraint that feels unusually deliberate.Until recently, she was known mostly within Shillong's close-knit music circles, in a city better known for rock bands, church choirs and old guitar legends than hip-hop.Her breakout moment came with Dhurandhar, the Bollywood action film whose soundtrack introduced millions to her cool, clipped delivery. On tracks like Run Down the City: Monica, Naal Nachna and Move - Yeh Ishq Ishq, Reble's restrained verses cut through the film's louder, more chaotic energy, quickly making her a fan favourite.Her latest single, Praying Mantis, which released this week, has once again made her a talking point, with fans dissecting the dark, hypnotic track online.Reble's rise reflects a wider shift, as artists from India's northeast begin finding audiences far beyond the region. Wedged between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar, the northeast has long felt culturally distant from the mainland, with many from the region speaking of being treated as outsiders in their own country.What makes Reble compelling is her refusal to soften herself for wider consumption - she resists explaining, translating or flattening her world into something more familiar."I don't like anybody telling me what to do," she tells the BBC.