Rich Brian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rich Brian
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Brian in 2019
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Brian Imanuel Soewarno
3 September 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia
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| Nationality | Indonesia |
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| Years active | 2015–present |
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Rich Brian (born Brian Imanuel Soewarno on September 3, 1999) is a famous rapper from Indonesia. He is also a singer, songwriter, and record producer. He became well-known for his first song, "Dat $tick", which came out in 2016. This song was so popular it was certified gold!
His first album, Amen, was released in 2018. It reached number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart. This made Brian the second artist from Southeast Asia to be in the top 20 of the Billboard 200. His second album, The Sailor, came out in 2019. He has also released two EPs (Extended Plays) called 1999 (in 2020) and Brightside (in 2022). Rich Brian has worked with many artists from China and South Korea, like Chungha and Jackson Wang.
Contents
Brian's Early Life
Brian Imanuel Soewarno was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 3, 1999. He grew up in West Jakarta in a regular neighborhood. Even though his father was a lawyer, Brian did not go to a regular school. He was homeschooled and often helped at his parents' café.
Discovering Social Media
Brian started using social media when he was 11 years old, around 2010. He found YouTube when he got a Rubik's Cube. He used his parents' computer to find videos that showed him how to solve it faster. He also joined Twitter in 2010.
Later, Brian started making his own videos. He posted funny sketches on Twitter and then on Vine when he was 15. At first, Brian only spoke Indonesian. He learned English by talking to an American friend on Skype. He also watched many YouTube videos and listened to rappers like Childish Gambino to improve his English.
Beginning His Music Journey
Brian started listening to hip hop music in 2012. An online friend introduced him to a song called "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Brian then explored more hip hop artists like Drake and Kanye West.
In 2014, Brian wrote his first rap song. He recorded it using his iPhone microphone over a beat. Brian once wanted to be a cinematographer (someone who works with cameras in movies) in Los Angeles. However, his music career became very successful, so he focused on that instead.
Brian's Music Career
2015–2016: Starting Out
Brian began his music career using the name Rich Chigga. He released his first song, "Living the Dream," on YouTube in July 2015. Then, he released his famous song "Dat $tick" in March 2016. Soon after, he signed with a company called 88rising.
"Dat $tick" became popular worldwide after 88rising shared a video of famous American rappers reacting to it. The official music video for "Dat $tick" has been watched over 200 million times on YouTube. The song also reached number four on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.
Brian then released his second song, "Who That Be," in August 2016. He also released a new version of "Dat $tick" with rappers Ghostface Killah and Pouya. His third song, "Seventeen," quickly got over a million views on both YouTube and SoundCloud.
2017–2018: The Amen Album
Brian released his fourth song, "Back At It," in April 2017. He then started his first tour in the United States, which lasted from April to May 2017. In May 2017, Brian released the song "Gospel" with XXXTentacion and Keith Ape. This song has been viewed over 38 million times on YouTube.
Brian won an award for "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" at the 4th Indonesian Choice Awards in May 2017. He told XXL magazine that he was working on his first album. He said it would have both serious and funny songs, but he was focusing on the serious ones. Brian spent a lot of time in Los Angeles, California, working on his album.
Brian released "Glow Like Dat" in August 2017. He then announced a tour called "Come to My Party Tour," which ran from September to November. Brian also released the songs "Chaos" and "Crisis" (featuring 21 Savage) in late 2017.
On December 19, 2017, Brian announced on Twitter that his first album would be called Amen. On January 1, 2018, Brian changed his stage name from "Rich Chigga" to "Brian." He did this because some people felt his old name had a bad meaning. Six days later, he changed his name again to "Rich Brian."
On February 2, 2018, Amen was released. It made him the first Asian musician to reach number one on the iTunes Hip Hop charts. The album also peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200.
After Amen, Brian released "Watch Out!" in April 2018. He also appeared on 88rising's album, Head in the Clouds. He released two songs from that album: "Midsummer Madness" (with Joji and Higher Brothers) and "History." The Head in the Clouds album came out in July 2018.
2019–Present: New Albums and Movies
On June 26, 2019, Brian released a new song called "Yellow." He also announced his second album, The Sailor. He then released another song from the album, "Kids," in July 2019. The Sailor was released on July 26, 2019, and included guest artists like RZA and Joji.
On August 25, 2020, Brian released an EP called 1999. This EP had seven songs, and three of them ("Don't Care," "Love in my Pocket," and "DOA") had music videos released before the EP.
Brian's career became even more popular in August 2021. He had several songs on the soundtrack for Marvel's movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. One song, "Run It," by Brian, DJ Snake, and Rick Ross, was played a lot. It was even used as the anthem for ESPN's college football coverage in 2021-2022.
In October 2021, it was reported that Brian would act in his first movie. He was cast by director Justin Chon to play a rapper whose growing fame changes his relationship with his father.
On January 20, 2022, Brian released an EP called Brightside. This EP had four songs. A music video for one of the songs, "Getcho Mans," which features rapper Warren Hue, was also released that day. On October 18, 2023, Brian released a new song called "World Stop Tuning," also featuring Warren Hue.
Brian's Musical Style
Brian's music style has been called "ironic" but also "a real piece of art." His voice is deep, and his way of rapping is "unique." People have said his songwriting is "skilled." Brian first made funny music, but now he tries to make more serious songs, like "Seventeen" and "Glow Like Dat."
With his song "Yellow" and album The Sailor, Brian's music style grew even more. He said that The Sailor was an "important step forward" for his art. He started to write about things that were very personal to him.
After his 2020 album 1999, his music style continued to develop. He started to include 80s funk sounds, which were popular at the time. Overall, his style is "easy-going" and has a "catchy and groovy" feel. His songs also show a lot of attitude, like in "Don't Care" and "DOA." He is honest in his music and shares his life experiences.
Brian has said that artists like Young Thug, Tyler, the Creator, and Childish Gambino have inspired his music.
Brian's Personal Life
When he was younger, Brian took part in a few Rubik's Cube competitions. He competed in the 2010 Jakarta Open Rubik's Cube Competition. He did well in the 3x3x3 cube event, finishing 20th out of 106 people in the first round. He also competed in the 2x2x2 and 4x4x4 events. In October 2010, he competed in another 2x2x2 event and had a best solve time of 5.68 seconds.
Brian moved to Los Angeles in May 2017 and lives there now.
Changing His Stage Name
Brian's first stage name, Rich Chigga, caused some discussion. Brian and a friend came up with the name when he released his first song on SoundCloud. He later said, "I didn't really know what I was doing, and I definitely did not know people were gonna pop off like this." He also said, "I do regret it."
Because of this, he changed his stage name to Rich Brian in 2018. He posted on Twitter, "I have been planning to do this forever and I'm so happy to finally do it. I was naïve and I made a mistake."
Brian was homeschooled and has said he does not plan to go to college. However, if he had the chance, he would like to go to film school.
Discography
- Amen (2018)
- The Sailor (2019)
Filmography
- Jamojaya (2023)
Concert Tours
Headlining Tours
- Come to My Party Tour (2017–2018)
- The Sailor Tour (2019)
Co-headlining Tours
- 88rising Asia Tour (with Higher Brothers and Joji) (2017)
