Ruby Ibarra Is Ready To Devour The Moon In Upcoming Single “Bakunawa”
This follows the California-raised Filipino rapper’s last single “Switch,” released in October 2023.
By Mayks Go
Ruby Ibarra: courtesy of @rbibarra, photographed by @oksoitsgino
Ruby Ibarra: courtesy of @rbibarra, photographed by @oksoitsgino
Ruby Ibarra is coming back with a new single this month.
On September 6, the California-based Filipino hip-hopHip-HopA cultural movement and music genre that began in the Bronx in the 1970s, built on rapping, DJing, beatmaking, and sampling. Hip-hop has a strong Filipino scene, with artists writingGo to Hip-Hop Glossary artist announced that she will be releasing a new track, entitled “Bakunawa,” this month. The song’s title is in reference to the bakunawa — a fierce, dragon-like serpent from Philippine mythology, known for devouring moons. Ibarra initially teased the track’s release through a series of posts on her social media starting last August 20.
Set to come out to September 13, the brand new single will also have an accompanying music videoMusic VideoA short film that accompanies a song, combining performance, storytelling, and visual style to promote the music. Music videos shape an artist's image, can drive viral success and fan theories,Go to Music Video Glossary, which will premiere on September 15.
Last February 27, a snippet of the track was posted on the TikTok account of Bolo Music Group — the music label founded by Ibarra. In the video, the rapper performed a verseVerseA section of a song that advances its story or message, typically sharing the same melody with different lyrics each time. Verses set up the emotional and narrative context forGo to Verse Glossary from forthcoming single, revealing that it will feature her fellow Bolo Music Group artist Ouida. Furthermore, she also shared that “Bakunawa” is set to be part of an album coming out sometime this year.
Hailing from Tacloban City and raised in California, Ruby Ibarra started her career in hip-hopHip-HopA cultural movement and music genre that began in the Bronx in the 1970s, built on rapping, DJing, beatmaking, and sampling. Hip-hop has a strong Filipino scene, with artists writingGo to Hip-Hop Glossary in the early 2010s. Her style is primarily influenced by boom bap and incorporates elements of spoken word poetry and makes use of live instrumentation. She released her debut album CIRCA91 back in October 2017. Her latest single, “Switch,” was released last October 2023. In the same year, she founded Bolo Music Group — a music label championing Filipino American artists, with its roster including her, Ouida, Vince A., and Ian Santillano.
While waiting for the release of “Bakunawa,” check out Ruby Ibarra’s “Switch” below: