La Doll: Meet Ladakh’s only female rapper who has put cold desert on international music map

SRINAGAR:  Padma Ladol had never imagined that one day she will become La Doll and put Ladakh on the international musical map.

For 26 year old, sitting inside the four walls in Delhi during lockdown was a time when she tried to dabble with some unusual stuff. Rapping was something that brought out her hidden talent.  

Fluent in English, Hindi, and Ladakhi languages, she used her energy to rap in multiple languages. Come 2022, she made her formal musical debut when she released her first single `Tus-skabs’. It turned out to be a chartbuster with Ladakhis relating to the lyrics and the song. It has garnered more than 1.11 lakh views and 8k likes.

From a girl next door to a rap singer, life has come full circle for Padma Ladol aka La Doll.  She has become Ladakh’s first female rapper who has her own YouTube channel. With 6.49K subscribers, her YouTube channel is a hit among the younger generation.

“My father is associated with music, but I never was. I had never tried music before the lockdown in 2020. I was at my sister’s place in New Delhi when the lockdown was implemented. It was the time when I tried to rap. And as they say, there was no looking back,” La Doll told The Kashmir Monitor.

When lockdown was lifted she returned to Ladakh and met the local rappers. “I met male rappers and singers who encouraged me to write my lines. I tried and it worked. Now I have debuted in writing too. I write and sing my lines. People are receiving it well,” she said.

Working at ICCI Foundation, music has become her passion. “I did not know what rap was till 2018 though I listened to some songs. I loved copying them. I was writing their lines in my notebook and reciting them in front of the camera. Then my cousins and fellow rappers told me to write my lines and post my covers. I tried and it clicked,” she said.

La Doll even auditioned for MTV reality show and reached up to Delhi auditions. “I have got offers for collaboration. I am again auditioning for some more shows. Though I started music as a hobby, given a chance I want to make a career out of this. I am open to anything,” she said.