Host Juana Summers talks with Ruby Ibarra, the Bay Space rapper who received this yr’s Tiny Desk Contest. Her successful entry, “Bakunawa,” is impressed by Filipino mythology and the beginning of her first little one.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Of us, we’ve a winner. This yr’s NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest obtained practically 7,500 entries from impartial artists throughout the nation. That is probably the most entries it has ever seen in its 11-year historical past. The artist who rose to the highest is from California, the Bay Space, particularly, and her identify is Ruby Ibarra.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BAKUNAWA”)
RUBY IBARRA: (Singing) I used to be born with two tongues, so I carry two weapons. Sharper than a balisong blade within the solar. Stars and the solar ‘trigger the moon part one. Received a rhythm like a monsoon bagyo with a drum.
SUMMERS: Ruby Ibarra joins us now. Congratulations.
IBARRA: Hello, everybody. Thanks a lot for having me.
SUMMERS: How are you feeling about all of this? I can not think about what it should be like for you.
IBARRA: I’m elated. I have been left speechless ever since I’ve – I came upon the great information. And I feel I am simply very proud not solely of myself however the band that I carried out with. , this can be a labor of affection for all of us, and it truly is a dream come true as impartial artists.
SUMMERS: I need to hear extra concerning the successful music. It is known as “Bakunawa.” What does that imply?
IBARRA: So the Bakunawa is definitely a direct reference of a mythological creature primarily based in Philippine mythology. It is a few dragon who swallows the moon.
(SOUNDBITE OF RUBY IBARRA SONG, “BAKUNAWA”)
IBARRA: And I interpreted it as a metaphor for resistance and a battle cry towards erasure as a result of within the mythological story, this dragon swallows the moon and is then banished for swallowing the moon. And it is mentioned that this dragon is the reason for pure phenomena similar to earthquake, eclipses. And for me, I discovered one thing actually highly effective in that, particularly since once I was scripting this music, I used to be pregnant with my first little one, with my daughter. And it felt like form of a revolutionary assertion of being resistant and preventing towards being erased.
And I feel, being a Filipina American artist as effectively and understanding my historical past, the Philippine historical past, which, , is a whole lot of colonial historical past and historical past that is been erased, to me it actually spoke loudly, and I wished to form of flip that story and use it as a way of empowerment.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BAKUNAWA”)
IBARRA: (Singing) Can I break this cycle I used to be taught as reality? Rewrite my story, unlearn my youth. Thought I used to be this stuff…
SUMMERS: I am so interested in how motherhood and creating this stunning music whereas pregnant impacted your artistic course of and the way in which you considered making this music.
IBARRA: It was completely highly effective for me. It was such an exquisite course of to know that, , I used to be getting into this new chapter of motherhood, and right here I used to be surrounded by these superb, robust girls similar to June Millington, Han Han, Ouida and our superb all-female band. And I simply felt like my daughter was already, , within the room with us and was a part of this course of. It’s very modified my perspective as an individual, but it surely’s additionally modified my perspective as a songwriter in understanding that the songs that I create from this second on are positively songs that I would like to have the ability to share with my daughter and have themes and tales that I need to have interaction in dialogue along with her sometime.
SUMMERS: Now, that is the primary Tiny Desk Contest-winning entry that’s carried out in three completely different languages. Inform us about that artistic determination.
IBARRA: That call to include completely different languages was positively intentional. It was crucial to me that we needed to showcase different Filipino languages on this music, together with Tagalog and Bisaya is what’s within the music and within the spoken phrase on the finish. And for me, it was significantly essential to showcase the Bisaya Filipino language as effectively as a result of the story of the Bakunawa is rooted from the Visayas, particularly from Cebu, and a part of my household can be from the Visayas.
So to me, it was simply very significant to have the ability to embrace that and to additionally present folks that, , the world over, oftentimes, there’s sure languages which might be normalized or sure languages that turn into form of the usual. Even within the Philippines alone, like, Tagalog is often the language that, , folks hear in mainstream music and in movie. And I would like – I’ve at all times wished to problem that narrative and to point out folks simply, , the completely different huge languages that exist on the market that very a lot should be in music as effectively.
SUMMERS: That was Ruby Ibarra, the winner of the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest. You possibly can see the video for her successful music on the NPR Music web site now and catch her on tour later this summer time. Ruby, thanks a lot and excited to see you.
IBARRA: Thanks a lot.
(SOUNDBITE OF RUBY IBARRA SONG, “BAKUNAWA”)
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