MILLI officially releases Coachella-viral song ‘Mango Sticky Rice’

Thai rapper MILLI has officially released ‘Mango Sticky Rice’, the song that made her a viral sensation when she performed it at Coachella and ate from a bowl of the dessert onstage.

• READ MORE: MILLI: “I’m not here to represent conventional ‘Thainess’. I’m here to represent who I am as a Thai person”

Performing as part of 88rising’s Head In The Clouds Forever showcase, MILLI closed her four-song set with ‘Mango Sticky Rice’ and went viral by whipping out a bowl of the iconic Thai dessert and eating onstage.

Demand for mango sticky rice also skyrocketed in Thailand, with some retailers seeing sales triple and others saying they expected the craze to last a few months. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was even prompted to consider registering mango sticky rice as a UNESCO cultural heritage item.

Now, about a month following the Coachella performance, MILLI has officially released ‘Mango Sticky Rice’. Stream the 89-second track below:

In an interview with NME this month, MILLI shed light on the origin of and personal meaning behind ‘Mango Sticky Rice’. “The idea for the song came up during one of our online meetings with 88rising. They wanted us to make a track that represents Thailand so we settled on mango sticky rice, which is my favourite dessert. Sticky rice also symbolises the bond between me and my family because we always stick together,” she explained.

The 19-year-old rapper, real name Danupha Khanatheerakul, also revealed that 88rising initially thought she wasn’t serious when she said she wanted to eat actual mango sticky rice onstage. “When I pitched the idea of eating it during my performance, they thought I was joking at first. Then they were like, ‘It’s your own show, you do you.’”

MILLI’s most recent single was ‘17mins’ featuring the indie pop band mints. She is expected to release another new song soon, one she also aired at Coachella. “It’s based on these community aerobics dance sessions you see everywhere in Thailand,” she told NME.

“Even though it’s inspired by the most ordinary thing ever, there’s a message of self-love behind it. I want to encourage women who have been hurt in their relationships to shake off the sadness and start taking care of themselves.”

The post MILLI officially releases Coachella-viral song ‘Mango Sticky Rice’ appeared first on NME.