When Warren Hue spoke to us via Zoom, it was practically unnoticeable that he just spent the past few hours rehearsing for his set at the recently held Head In The Clouds Los Angeles last weekend.
He’s beyond booked and busy—on top of preparing for the festival curated by his label, US-based 88rising—shortly after releasing his album BOYOFTHEYEAR, preparing for his upcoming North American tour (his first), and an even busier latter part of the year. While 88rising hasn’t released the lineup for either of the Jakarta and Manila editions of Head In The Clouds, it is not too far off that Warren and his labelmates will perform.
In his latest album, the Jakarta native interprets success—BOYOFTHEYEAR’s underlying theme. “Yeah, it’s kind of a braggadocious title,” he laughs. In a way, he’s earned the right to rest on his laurels, with a Forbes 30 Under 30 spot and a Marvel soundtrack under his belt, just before he hit 20.
But what comes off as extremely clear during the 15-minute conversation is the dedication and purposeful intent Warren puts into his craft. “I’ve dreamt of being a musician like this, being out here in [Los Angeles] since I was 16,” he shares. “That was the original plan. I’m so happy. It’s definitely a surreal feeling.”
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His creative vision and aforementioned dedication are what shine through the most in BOYOFTHEYEAR. The arrangement of tracks was a calculated pick–the rapper tells HipHopDX Asia that the emotional shift from the confidence-exuding first half to the more vulnerable and intimate latter half was intentional.
“I love it when albums have B-sides. […] I love that transition from happy to sad and just having a rollercoaster of emotions. I think a lot of albums do that, [like] Blonde by Frank [Ocean] is one of my favorite albums of all time, and he did that with ‘Nights’. It still inspires me to this day,” Warren shares, as we rattle off some of the more vulnerable songs on the record like “Runaway W Me,” “OK WORD!,” and the titular track.
This precision is a testament to the driving inspiration behind the album. Influenced by his experiences with moving to Los Angeles, his accolades, and joining his fellow Indonesian artists NIKI and Rich Brian in 88rising and in the United States, he says, “Being in [Los Angeles] really shaped the album; experiencing all these surreal things all at once. […] I can finally be more honest and truthful in my music, and that’s what changed the most in my music compared to my previous work. It definitely is honesty and being more honed in on the craft.”
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While he continues his music journey as an LA transplant, the rapper is far from shying away from his Indonesian roots. He shares some of his fellow Indonesian artists that he hopes to collaborate with soon, such as BAP. (who is featured on our 10 Artists We Want To See At Head In The Clouds Jakarta wishlist) and boylife. He cites that being with NIKI and Rich Brian in Los Angeles has helped him preserve a part of his home while he’s been working abroad, and the new editions of Head In The Clouds in Jakarta and Manila are especially exciting for him.
“Jakarta’s going to be special,” Warren says, referring to Head In The Clouds Jakarta happening later this year. It’s a surreal homecoming for him—he tells us that he was going as a fan to the first Indonesian installment of the festival last March 2020, until it was postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19. But now, things may play out differently. “It’s going to be amazing…Indonesian fans are different, and it’s a whole different playing field out there.”
What’s next for Warren Hue? For one thing, he’s only just begun. The rapper is looking forward to continually evolving his music, drawing inspiration from some of his favorite genres, like dance and garage music. He also told us he’s already lining up some solid collaborations while also mentally preparing himself for his first-ever tour. We’re excited to see how Warren Hue continues to reinvent himself to clinch the title of BOYOFTHEYEAR year after year.
Listen to BOYOFTHEYEAR below:
Inline images: Press
