2017 was a big year for Rich Chigga, the 18-year-old artist from Jakarta, Indonesia whose real name Brian Imanuel. He's one of the best new artists of 2017, and he made major waves in the past 12 months. Brian collaborated with 21 Savage, enjoyed a viral moment with Post Malone, got interviewed by Nardwuar, and went from an internet enigma to a serious artist with a bright future.
Throughout his rise, there's been a lot of debate about his name. "I do regret it," Brian told The New Yorker earlier this year. Even before that, he confessed on Twitter, "Rich Chigga is a fuckin corny ass name."
In a 2016 interview with Fader, Brian said that he was already thinking about changing his name in the future. "I didn't really know what I was doing and I definitely did not know people were gonna pop off like this," he said. "Now I'm kind of stuck with this. I might change it in the future, I don't know. I hope I can do it. But as for now, I'm definitely not going to let it be the only thing that defines me."
To start 2018, the young artist is officially committing to the name change. From now on, he'll go by Brian. "Yes I now go by Brian," he tweeted. "I have been planning to do this forever and I’m so happy to finally do it. I was naive & I made a mistake. new year, new beginning, happy new years." To mark the occasion, he's also released a new song called "See Me." Hear "See Me" below, and follow Brian at his new Twitter handle: @iambrianimanuel.
Watch Rich Chigga's episode of Trending Topics below.
