Life isn't easy, more so in your early 20s. It's a confusing time full of twists and turns, rocky roads, and dead ends and while it doesn't seem okay right now, it's really all okay. We'll all figure it out eventually, it might just take a few more tries—just ask ENVY*.
The Indonesian hip-hop group—comprising rappers Isiah, Hazy Dael, Fat B, Kid Quest, Anima, and Quest, as well as producers Geovanni Bregas and Ziyan Agrily—mark their long-awaited return with 'MR MARIPOSA', a delightfully chaotic single about wandering through life lost and confused as you try to find your place in the world. It's a coming-of-age story in the most ENVY* way possible.
"We tried to emphasize how we’re still very much lost in life and that there are many obstacles which we have to evade and navigate through in order to find our purpose in life. 'MR MARIPOSA' means different things to us; it can be success, finding purpose, finding happiness, finding love or anything that we want most in life," they tell Bandwagon.
'MR MARIPOSA' comes as our first introduction to the group's upcoming second album. Following the release, Bandwagon caught up with ENVY* to talk about their musical beginnings, favourite artists, and what lies ahead.
Hi ENVY*! What’s been keeping you guys busy these days?
We’re finishing up our new album and really taking our time with it. Also we have a couple of gigs ahead of us, and besides that we’re just enjoying our time together as a group.
Let’s go back to the beginning, how did you guys come together to form ENVY*?
Well, it started with a link-up between Isiah and Quest when they decided to try and record something, then they linked up at Bertrand (Fat B)’s house where all the boys happened to be. So, we made a song together for fun and the rest was history.
The group’s name stands for “Expect Nothing, Valid Yesterday”, what's the story behind it?
In all honesty, it's just an abbreviation of ENVY that we could think of. The name ‘ENVY’ was a name that we got from the Wu Tang name generator but if it stood for nothing, we thought that it would be kind of lame.
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How would you describe the music that you guys make? What impact would you like it to have on your listeners?
It's safe to say that the best way we could describe our music is that it's a beautiful mess. I suppose that description is what happens when you put eight heads together to a single song, it's harder than it sounds but we do make it work. As for the impact we want our listeners to know that they shouldn't be scared to feel weird, if anything: be weirder!
Who are some of the artists that inspire you?
There are a lot of us, but we could narrow it down to the likes of Kendrick Lamar, and Tyler the Creator. Brockhampton definitely have a massive impact [on us], and probably Pharrell Williams just because he’s the goat.
Tell us more about your newest single ‘MR MARIPOSA’. What story does the song tell?
'MR MARIPOSA' is a metaphorical figure in our upcoming second studio album. In this single, we tried to emphasize how we’re still very much lost in life and that there are many obstacles which we have to evade and navigate through in order to find our purpose in life. 'MR MARIPOSA' means different things to us; it can be success, finding purpose, finding happiness, finding love or anything that we want most in life.
The track comes as part of your upcoming album The Grand Chase. What can we expect from the record? How do you feel you guys have evolved as artists since your last album in 2019?
We are bringing something new to the plate. We’ve all evolved as artists in that we want to experiment with new sounds and palettes. With the help of our newest members; Ziyan Agrily and KidQuest, we feel that they can provide something fresh and new for us in this second album. New sounds are being orchestrated, new flows are being forged, and new ideas are coming in every day that we are in the studio together.
What do you hope to achieve as artists and as a group?
We’re just kids on the block and ultimately, we want to have fun. We love creating art regardless of the medium and we want to share that art with people. We hope that one day we can unite people with our music and we feel that we have what it takes to take it on an international scale. Ultimately, we want to influence other people and inspire them.
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What’s the best part about being in ENVY*?
Everything. ENVY* is like family and we’re brothers. We go through everything both thick and thin.
What’s next for ENVY*?
Most definitely more shows and our second studio album that will shake the hip-hop scene in Asia.
Listen to ENVY*'s 'MR MARIPOSA' here.
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