{"id":1766186,"date":"2026-02-13T11:32:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T08:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1766186"},"modified":"2026-02-13T11:32:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T08:32:00","slug":"london-rapper-ledbyher-is-the-outlier-of-uk-ug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1766186","title":{"rendered":"London rapper Ledbyher is the outlier of UK Ug"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-863-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437166.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article longread\">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/music\/article\/69628\/1\/ledbyher-uk-ug-rapper-outlier-the-elephant-interview-2026\" data-article-id=\"69628\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.67\" data-template=\"Longread Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4917\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437166.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Luke Ellis-Gayle<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-13T11:32:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"13 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">DateInMeta<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"13\">13,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/q-and-a\">Q+A<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>London rapper Ledbyher is the outlier of <span class=\"nowrap\">UK Ug<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>The Indonesia-born artist talks about the influences behind her new mixtape, The Elephant, and her rise as one of UK rap\u2019s most compelling <span class=\"nowrap\">new voices<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-13T11:32:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"13 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"13\">13,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/q-and-a\">Q+A<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-13T11:32:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"13 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"13\">13,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/solomonpacemccarrick\">Solomon Pace-McCarrick<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-6-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Ledbyher, The Elephant<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/0\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4917\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-863-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437166.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/1\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4991\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-1058-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437167.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/2\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5158\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-1163-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437168.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/3\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5206\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-765-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437169.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/4\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5337\" class=\"img\" height=\"1330\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-420-1995-1330\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437170.jpg\" width=\"1995\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/5\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5037\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-428-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437171.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 6 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The UK Ug rap scene is nothing if not chronically online. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/fakemink\">fakemink<\/a>\u2019s production sounds like Fruity Loops on steroids, Feng\u2019s lyrics read like Instagram story posts on creative mode, and the entire movement has been powered by fan pages on Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. So, when I meet up with one of the scene\u2019s only female voices, 22-year-old singer-rapper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/babyrachy\/?hl=en\">Ledbyher<\/a>, and she speaks at length about camping, trains and elephants, I knew that something was up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI just love elephants,\u201d she tells me, as if it is the most natural thing in the world. \u201cI made the song \u2018Daydreaming Made Me Blue\u2019, which had an elephant bar in it, and then I started having all these full-circle moments. I couldn\u2019t find anywhere to live but Elephant and Castle, and then I ended up on the road where [all-female Victorian crime syndicate] the Forty Elephants lived. They dressed in long skirts and sometimes like a guy&#8230;\u201d Ledbyher points at herself. \u201cWeird full circles.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s strangely fitting. Ledbyher\u2019s physique might be slight, but, in the UK\u2019s underground rap scene at least, she is the elephant in the room. Compared to her intensely digital contemporaries, the Indonesian-born, Norfolk-raised and now London-based artist\u2019s new mixtape, titled \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 <\/span><em><span>The Elephant, <\/span><\/em><span>is the sonic equivalent of touching grass. There\u2019s still the tell-tale signs of UK Ug: jerk percussion, heady distortion and that ubiquitous stock record scratch sound, particularly in the project\u2019s first half; but, in soaring melody lines and dream pop-esque guitar riffs (yes, actual live instruments), <em>The Elephant<\/em><\/span><span>also gestures at the real-world that lies beyond the computer screen.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"gQQE-XvldaM\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"900\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gQQE-XvldaM\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"1600\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Speaking to Ledbyher this week, it soon became clear that this unique sound is rooted in a life that has been equally as unlikely. Raised as a child carer to a mother with multiple sclerosis, Ledbyher had to grow up quickly. While her collaborators spent their teens attending functions around London, Ledbyher recalls helping out on a local farm to earn some extra cash. \u201cI did not have a good start in life. I grew up in a very violent place,\u201d she reflects. \u201cWhen I started running away from home, music was my escape. I found that it could get me out of the house, get me [travelling] across the world, and give me a message. I used to pray four times a day for this.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Describing her decision to move to London to pursue this dream as \u201cthe most selfish thing she\u2019s ever done\u201d, it\u2019s clear that this early role as the family\u2019s protector still follows Ledbyher today. But it is also these experiences that lend a distinct softness to her artistry. Ledbyher speaks with pride about the fan interactions she watches play out on her own private Discord channel, and, at only 22 years of age, frequently holds herself to account. \u201cBeing an artist comes with a responsibility to say something for somebody, I\u2019m figuring that out right now,\u201d she declares, later explaining that she has recently partnered with the India-based Elephant Charity because she \u201cdidn\u2019t want to just exploit the animal for monetary benefit\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While this unlikely life journey may set her apart from others in the UK underground, Ledbyher is in many ways the exception that proves the rule. More than anything, the scene is defined by its sheltering of disparate Gen Z British perspectives under one roof, and the stark inclusion of Ledbyher \u2013 counting everyone from Sinn6r and Saint\u00e9 to Lancey Foux and Central Cee as supporters \u2013 shows just how far this goes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cI think there was something in the air around the start of last year that made me fall into this current scene,\u201d she tells me. \u201cI like being alone and I can be a bit of a chameleon, like I wouldn\u2019t talk about my life in Norfolk to people in the green room of a rap show, you know? But London\u2019s such a big city, and there\u2019s so much opportunity for all of us out there that you just have to create a pack and move onward.\u201d Ledbyher might be the elephant in the room, but even elephants need their herd.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Below, Ledbyher speaks on her musical inspirations, her unlikely entry into music and her relationship with Islam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>It was cool to see rapper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/62853\/1\/surf-gang-onoe-caponoes-internet-obsessions-pilk-pranks-and-kenny-powers\">Onoe Caponoe<\/a> show up at your Boiler Room set last week. You two worked together before this whole UK Ug scene popped off, right?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher:<\/strong><span> Yeah, that was two years ago, and I realised that a lot of people at the show actually didn\u2019t know that song. When people go back and find it, they\u2019re like, \u2018This is kind of jerk\u2019. It was the first song that put me onto that drum pattern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you first end up working with him?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>When I was 13 to 14, I used to skate to his music. I can\u2019t stress this enough; he is probably the most important person to me in music. When I moved to London, he was the number one person I wanted to collab with. I was at one of his shows in this big puffer jacket, and he said, \u2018Shout out the girl in the big jacket!\u2019 Then I went up to him afterwards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Were you mainly interested in rap growing up?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Yeah, but it was never my main thing; it was just the thing that stuck the longest. I am big on my Spotify research; I have hundreds of playlists, all with specific cover arts and descriptions that I use as research to find different genres. So, I also love rock, techno, a bit of [Irish rock band] The Cranberries\u2026 a bit of everything.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I like to know what came before me. I think the most interesting thing about music is the cause and effect. So, one person can be shunned for doing something and then, say, five years later, someone like the Beatles comes around, and everyone loves it because it\u2019s been simplified.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you think you\u2019re the cause or the effect?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>I would love to be a cause in the future, but right now, I\u2019m the effect. Lava [La Rue of Nine8 Collective] helped me a lot with my sound. I didn\u2019t know that the British accent was a thing with females. Naturally, I would just sing overly \u2018American\u2019. Then, I found Lava, Greentea Peng, IAMDDB and Lily Allen, all these great women using their British accent and it helped me to find my sound. Now, one of the most noticeable things about me is that I\u2019m British.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"ae13355d-fd30-4796-b1ea-b3ef00dcded9\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437169.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.67\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5206\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437169.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Luke Ellis-Gayle<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>You started out as a producer. Are you still producing your own music?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Yeah, I\u2019m producing less and writing more because that\u2019s what I feel like I need to work on. I was producing for so long and used to only write poems that I\u2019d put to music. Now, I actually have stuff I need to say to the world, so I can leave the production for a bit and focus on what I want to say, how I want to say it and why I\u2019m saying it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>What changed?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Growing up, my sister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/xanjeli\/?hl=en\">Anjeli<\/a> was a child star. She was an eight-year-old getting millions of views on YouTube. My mum would set the camera up, and she\u2019d do covers of Sia and Adele. She\u2019s incredible. But, because she was pushed so much as a child, she never had a chance to formulate her own dream. I didn\u2019t want that. I would just produce for her, and she\u2019d sing on it. It was when she went to college that I was like, \u2018Oh, maybe I need a mic\u2019. It became a necessity, but as soon as I started, it felt right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cIslam gave me a lot of respect for others, and I think it\u2019s where a lot of my morals come from\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>You mentioned praying earlier. Are you still religious?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>No, I don\u2019t pray as much because I\u2019m quite sinful. Music is haram, so as soon as I started making my own music, I realised I couldn\u2019t preach like I was a model Muslim. But I would say that I\u2019m part Muslim. My dad is a white man who converted, and my mum comes from a long line of Muslims. Indonesia has the world\u2019s largest Muslim population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Islam gave me a lot of respect for others, and I think it\u2019s where a lot of my morals come from. My upbringing was very regimented \u2013 my dad is in the RAF, and my mum is a devout Muslim. But it was also difficult to talk to them. I\u2019d rebel and then come home and be a completely different person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>You seem quite level-headed now. Do you think growing up quickly made you fast-track the partying, too?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Yeah, I\u2019m actually very tame now. I just do my music and get on with my life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you think you\u2019ll end up in the countryside again one day? <\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Definitely. I think I\u2019ll probably go to Wales, the Brecon Beacons. It\u2019s just so beautiful. I go camping there. I bring a big battery pack, a tent and some food and just sit on top of the mountain and write music.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><em>Ledbyher\u2019s latest mixtape,<\/em> The Elephant,<em> is out now<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/q-and-a\">Q+A<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/uk-ug\">UK Ug<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/rap\">rap<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/wales\">Wales<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-navigation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/news\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img one\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">News<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img two\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Fashion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img three\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Music<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img four\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Film &amp; TV<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69628\/1\/ledbyher-uk-ug-rapper-outlier-the-elephant-interview-2026#features\" class=\"image-navigation__img five\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Features<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img six\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Beauty<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img seven\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Life &amp; Culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img eight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Art &amp; Photography<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-6-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Ledbyher, The Elephant<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/0\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4917\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-863-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437166.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/1\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4991\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-1058-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437167.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/2\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5158\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-1163-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437168.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/3\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5206\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-765-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437169.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/4\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5337\" class=\"img\" height=\"1330\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-420-1995-1330\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437170.jpg\" width=\"1995\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36676\/5\/ledbyher-the-elephant\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5037\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-428-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437171.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 6 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The UK Ug rap scene is nothing if not chronically online. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/fakemink\">fakemink<\/a>\u2019s production sounds like Fruity Loops on steroids, Feng\u2019s lyrics read like Instagram story posts on creative mode, and the entire movement has been powered by fan pages on Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. So, when I meet up with one of the scene\u2019s only female voices, 22-year-old singer-rapper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/babyrachy\/?hl=en\">Ledbyher<\/a>, and she speaks at length about camping, trains and elephants, I knew that something was up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI just love elephants,\u201d she tells me, as if it is the most natural thing in the world. \u201cI made the song \u2018Daydreaming Made Me Blue\u2019, which had an elephant bar in it, and then I started having all these full-circle moments. I couldn\u2019t find anywhere to live but Elephant and Castle, and then I ended up on the road where [all-female Victorian crime syndicate] the Forty Elephants lived. They dressed in long skirts and sometimes like a guy&#8230;\u201d Ledbyher points at herself. \u201cWeird full circles.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s strangely fitting. Ledbyher\u2019s physique might be slight, but, in the UK\u2019s underground rap scene at least, she is the elephant in the room. Compared to her intensely digital contemporaries, the Indonesian-born, Norfolk-raised and now London-based artist\u2019s new mixtape, titled \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 <\/span><em><span>The Elephant, <\/span><\/em><span>is the sonic equivalent of touching grass. There\u2019s still the tell-tale signs of UK Ug: jerk percussion, heady distortion and that ubiquitous stock record scratch sound, particularly in the project\u2019s first half; but, in soaring melody lines and dream pop-esque guitar riffs (yes, actual live instruments), <em>The Elephant<\/em><\/span><span>also gestures at the real-world that lies beyond the computer screen.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"gQQE-XvldaM\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"900\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gQQE-XvldaM\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"1600\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Speaking to Ledbyher this week, it soon became clear that this unique sound is rooted in a life that has been equally as unlikely. Raised as a child carer to a mother with multiple sclerosis, Ledbyher had to grow up quickly. While her collaborators spent their teens attending functions around London, Ledbyher recalls helping out on a local farm to earn some extra cash. \u201cI did not have a good start in life. I grew up in a very violent place,\u201d she reflects. \u201cWhen I started running away from home, music was my escape. I found that it could get me out of the house, get me [travelling] across the world, and give me a message. I used to pray four times a day for this.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Describing her decision to move to London to pursue this dream as \u201cthe most selfish thing she\u2019s ever done\u201d, it\u2019s clear that this early role as the family\u2019s protector still follows Ledbyher today. But it is also these experiences that lend a distinct softness to her artistry. Ledbyher speaks with pride about the fan interactions she watches play out on her own private Discord channel, and, at only 22 years of age, frequently holds herself to account. \u201cBeing an artist comes with a responsibility to say something for somebody, I\u2019m figuring that out right now,\u201d she declares, later explaining that she has recently partnered with the India-based Elephant Charity because she \u201cdidn\u2019t want to just exploit the animal for monetary benefit\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While this unlikely life journey may set her apart from others in the UK underground, Ledbyher is in many ways the exception that proves the rule. More than anything, the scene is defined by its sheltering of disparate Gen Z British perspectives under one roof, and the stark inclusion of Ledbyher \u2013 counting everyone from Sinn6r and Saint\u00e9 to Lancey Foux and Central Cee as supporters \u2013 shows just how far this goes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cI think there was something in the air around the start of last year that made me fall into this current scene,\u201d she tells me. \u201cI like being alone and I can be a bit of a chameleon, like I wouldn\u2019t talk about my life in Norfolk to people in the green room of a rap show, you know? But London\u2019s such a big city, and there\u2019s so much opportunity for all of us out there that you just have to create a pack and move onward.\u201d Ledbyher might be the elephant in the room, but even elephants need their herd.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Below, Ledbyher speaks on her musical inspirations, her unlikely entry into music and her relationship with Islam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>It was cool to see rapper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/62853\/1\/surf-gang-onoe-caponoes-internet-obsessions-pilk-pranks-and-kenny-powers\">Onoe Caponoe<\/a> show up at your Boiler Room set last week. You two worked together before this whole UK Ug scene popped off, right?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher:<\/strong><span> Yeah, that was two years ago, and I realised that a lot of people at the show actually didn\u2019t know that song. When people go back and find it, they\u2019re like, \u2018This is kind of jerk\u2019. It was the first song that put me onto that drum pattern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you first end up working with him?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>When I was 13 to 14, I used to skate to his music. I can\u2019t stress this enough; he is probably the most important person to me in music. When I moved to London, he was the number one person I wanted to collab with. I was at one of his shows in this big puffer jacket, and he said, \u2018Shout out the girl in the big jacket!\u2019 Then I went up to him afterwards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Were you mainly interested in rap growing up?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Yeah, but it was never my main thing; it was just the thing that stuck the longest. I am big on my Spotify research; I have hundreds of playlists, all with specific cover arts and descriptions that I use as research to find different genres. So, I also love rock, techno, a bit of [Irish rock band] The Cranberries\u2026 a bit of everything.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I like to know what came before me. I think the most interesting thing about music is the cause and effect. So, one person can be shunned for doing something and then, say, five years later, someone like the Beatles comes around, and everyone loves it because it\u2019s been simplified.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you think you\u2019re the cause or the effect?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>I would love to be a cause in the future, but right now, I\u2019m the effect. Lava [La Rue of Nine8 Collective] helped me a lot with my sound. I didn\u2019t know that the British accent was a thing with females. Naturally, I would just sing overly \u2018American\u2019. Then, I found Lava, Greentea Peng, IAMDDB and Lily Allen, all these great women using their British accent and it helped me to find my sound. Now, one of the most noticeable things about me is that I\u2019m British.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"ae13355d-fd30-4796-b1ea-b3ef00dcded9\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437169.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.67\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF5206\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437169.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Luke Ellis-Gayle<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>You started out as a producer. Are you still producing your own music?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Yeah, I\u2019m producing less and writing more because that\u2019s what I feel like I need to work on. I was producing for so long and used to only write poems that I\u2019d put to music. Now, I actually have stuff I need to say to the world, so I can leave the production for a bit and focus on what I want to say, how I want to say it and why I\u2019m saying it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>What changed?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Growing up, my sister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/xanjeli\/?hl=en\">Anjeli<\/a> was a child star. She was an eight-year-old getting millions of views on YouTube. My mum would set the camera up, and she\u2019d do covers of Sia and Adele. She\u2019s incredible. But, because she was pushed so much as a child, she never had a chance to formulate her own dream. I didn\u2019t want that. I would just produce for her, and she\u2019d sing on it. It was when she went to college that I was like, \u2018Oh, maybe I need a mic\u2019. It became a necessity, but as soon as I started, it felt right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cIslam gave me a lot of respect for others, and I think it\u2019s where a lot of my morals come from\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>You mentioned praying earlier. Are you still religious?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>No, I don\u2019t pray as much because I\u2019m quite sinful. Music is haram, so as soon as I started making my own music, I realised I couldn\u2019t preach like I was a model Muslim. But I would say that I\u2019m part Muslim. My dad is a white man who converted, and my mum comes from a long line of Muslims. Indonesia has the world\u2019s largest Muslim population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Islam gave me a lot of respect for others, and I think it\u2019s where a lot of my morals come from. My upbringing was very regimented \u2013 my dad is in the RAF, and my mum is a devout Muslim. But it was also difficult to talk to them. I\u2019d rebel and then come home and be a completely different person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>You seem quite level-headed now. Do you think growing up quickly made you fast-track the partying, too?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Yeah, I\u2019m actually very tame now. I just do my music and get on with my life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you think you\u2019ll end up in the countryside again one day? <\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong><strong>Ledbyher: <\/strong><span>Definitely. I think I\u2019ll probably go to Wales, the Brecon Beacons. It\u2019s just so beautiful. I go camping there. I bring a big battery pack, a tent and some food and just sit on top of the mountain and write music.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><em>Ledbyher\u2019s latest mixtape,<\/em> The Elephant,<em> is out now<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/q-and-a\">Q+A<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/uk-ug\">UK Ug<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/rap\">rap<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/wales\">Wales<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69628\/1\/ledbyher-uk-ug-rapper-outlier-the-elephant-interview-2026&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-863-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437166.jpg&#8221;] Photography Luke Ellis-Gayle DateInMeta\u00a0 13,\u00a0 2026 Music \/ Q+A London rapper Ledbyher is the outlier of UK Ug The Indonesia-born artist talks about the influences behind her new mixtape, The Elephant, and her rise as one of UK rap\u2019s most compelling new voices February\u00a0 13,\u00a0 2026 MusicQ+A February\u00a0 13,\u00a0 2026 TextSolomon Pace-McCarrick [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1766186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1766186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766186\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1766186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1766186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1766186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}