Indonesian Girl Group no na On “work”: “We wanted to explore a new side of no na that hasn’t been seen before.”

On May 2, 2025, Christy, Esther, Baila, and Shaz made their debut under 88rising as a girl group representing Indonesia named no na, and came out with the song “shoot.” With members hailing from various backgrounds in singing and dance, the group quickly stirred the sonic landscape of Southeast Asia with their distinct visual and sonic identity.

Since then, the group has released eight singles — their latest being the dance pop/EDM single, “work.” In contrast to their previous singles that leaned more into a blend of synth pop and R&B, this booming pop track commands power and high energy for all its listeners, portraying a side to the rising girl group that hasn’t been seen before. Even in the song’s music video, the quartet showcases a fierce energy, alongside challenging choreography that involves acrobatics and the like.

On that note, in an exclusive interview with Billboard Philippines, the girl group delves into their creative process behind “work,” and how the song marks the start of their evolving sound.

Billboard Philippines: First and foremost, congratulations on your most recent single, “work.” How are you feeling now that the new track is out?

Esther: We’re feeling so good, very grateful. 

Baila: Relieved!

Shaz: Relieved, excited, everything. 

Esther: Pressured, too, a little bit, but it’s been a very exciting journey.

“Relieved” and “pressured” are two interesting words to describe this feeling. Can you explain why a bit more, maybe?

Esther: I think we’re just relieved that the song is out, like everybody is able to enjoy the song, but we’re also very pressured because now that no na is starting a new kind of genre, and kind of pivoting, it’s a pressure to keep that, keep this point. 

The new song is a departure from your usual R&B/pop sound and delves more into a dance pop direction. What was the inspiration behind this change?

Esther: When no na started and we released “shoot,” “superstitious,” and “falling in love,” we’ve always paid homage to really great artists in the ’80s, ’90s… even like you said, pop [and] R&B in the early 2000s. This year, we wanted to try something new, and we have always, from the start, wanted to become versatile artists who are able to creatively evolve.

So I think that was our inspiration for releasing the song is that we wanted to explore a new genre and a new side of no na that has never been seen before. Something different. 

You also integrated Indonesian beats and gamelan-inspired rhythms into the new track. So, how important is it to you to incorporate parts of your culture into your music? And what does the new song, apart from a new venture, what does it mean to you?

Baila: It’s very important for us from the start, because we told our CEO and everyone at 88 that, you know, putting Indonesian elements in our songs and in our music videos and in our choreography is very important to us. 

Since you mentioned that before, you were leaning more on inspirations from synth pop of the ’80s, do you feel that there was a challenge in which you had to switch up the direction? 

Esther: It was challenging for sure. Everything is challenging. But I think switching on the direction, as much as it was challenging, it was also very fun. It was something that we were very excited about. And now that it’s out there, I’m like, that’s what that’s where the relief comes from. Because after we overcame the challenge, it’s like now everything’s out. 

In the music video, we can see you breaking it down with really intricate, really complex choreography. So given that no na consistently performs difficult choreography, how is it going about this particular song with this kind of beat, where there was more acrobatics involved in the choreography as well?

Shaz: Yeah, I think so far from our debut, like every time we release a single, the choreo gets harder and harder. I don’t know how it became like that, but yeah. I feel like this song has the most challenging choreo so far for us, so that was really challenging. There was a lot of acrobatics and we had to be really flexible for this song, this choreo. But we did it! And it was really fun!

I feel like it also leans more into the meaning of “work.” So could you also explain what “work” means to you as a group?

Esther: I think personally, I think putting in the hard work means accepting any challenges that may come. Because we’ve gone through so much in the past, what, three, four years. I think putting in the work and the song “work” itself, I think we’re making this as an anthem for people out there to live up to your potential and work as hard as you can to achieve all your dreams.

Shaz: Such an empowering song. 

Esther: It’s an empowering song. So that’s kind of what we defined “work” as.

All of you come from very varied backgrounds: Christy trained in ballet school, Baila and Esther both participated in Indonesian Idol, and Shaz joined a dance troupe while in university. How would you describe your initial dynamic with each other, and how has it grown since then?

Baila: Initial dynamic?

Esther: I think it was just like we locked in immediately. 

Baila: We locked in immediately — we were best friends from the start. We were sisters.

Esther: And I think because we all had different backgrounds, like they came from dancing backgrounds and both of us came from singing backgrounds, it was easy for us to collaborate because we all have different things to bring to the table.

Shaz: So none of us overlapped.

Esther: Everyone’s like, my weakness is your strength and vice versa. So it was really easy to work together.

Baila: It kind of changed after we moved in together, though. We became really close after we moved in together in LA. We started off as best friends, and now we’re sisters.

Esther: [We] started off as work colleagues to best friends to sisters.

I also see how maybe it comes from a shared love of music. Do you see how that plays into your dynamic a bit?

Esther:  Oh, yeah, definitely. I think because we all have the same passion and the same ambitions, I think it was very easy to like, it’s just easy for the four of us to communicate with each other.

On that note, what are some of the next milestones that you would like to conquer or achieve together as a group?

Baila: There’s a lot!

Shaz: There’s a lot. Tour?

Baila: Hopefully, a stop in the Philippines.

Yes, for your Filipino fans?

Esther: Yeah, maybe tour. That’s our answer, hopefully!

Next, what are some musical styles or concepts that you would like to experiment with?

Christy: We want to try everything! 

Baila: We want to try everything and just show people that we can.

Okay, I’m down to my very last question. What can fans look forward to in upcoming projects of no na, and can we have any teasers, maybe?

Baila: I mean, we can’t we can’t say anything. But just yeah, you just have to look.

Shaz: Oh! That was a teaser. 

Esther: But on a serious note, the next upcoming stuff is going to be really fire. So we can’t wait.

Shaz: We’ve been working hard for it, so… Oh, yeah. 

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you?

Esther: We’d like to introduce our group now! Hi, everyone. I’m no na Esther.

Baila: I’m no na Baila.

Shaz: I’m no na Shaz.

Christy: I’m no na Christy.

Esther: And we are a global girl group scouted by 88rising representing Indonesia. And we’re very excited. To explain what our group name means, No na means young lady in Indonesian. It’s a very old way of saying how to call a young lady, but we’re modernizing it. Yeah, it’s like no na Esther, no na Christy. So you’re going to be no na Rome. And we can’t wait to meet you guys there in the Philippines. And thank you to the Filipina Orchids, mahal kita!