‘Lovebomber Baby’ singer Gagni Porwal on reaction to viral hit: ‘It’s meant to be a proper song, not a joke’

Gagni Porwal tells Shahana Yasmin that the song many have dubbed ‘cringe pop’ is inspired by her own real-life experience of being in an unhappy relationship

(Gagni Porwal)

An Indian singer’s viral hit about being ghosted by a lover has exploded on social media, becoming the backing track to posts across Instagram and dividing users on whether the song’s groovy beats and kitschy videography are meant to be a parody.

Gagni Porwal’s “Lovebomber Baby” has more than 877,000 views and over 32,000 likes on YouTube with lyrics that call out the callous lover who “took my heart, you crushed it badly, and tore it apart”.

“I made the song back in April and no one noticed,” Porwal tells The Independent in an interview. “I just started making reels and posting them every day, no ads. Then, all of a sudden, it just picked up almost overnight.”

Porwal’s interest in music began at a young age, although it was always more of a passion project than a career choice due to her family’s academic expectations.

“I’ve been singing since I was two or three years old,” she says. “But I was also academically bright, so I focused more on studies. But my father worked in defence, so I would sing in army parties, with the army band, and at my school’s cultural programmes.”

It was only after she completed her education that she decided it was time to pursue music professionally, a choice that her parents initially met with scepticism.

“And when the song went viral, they weren’t very happy about it, especially when the comments started pouring in. They were scared because they weren’t used to this kind of attention.”

“Lovebomber Baby” suddenly gained traction on social media in late June, months after it was released. Within a week, the song went from relative obscurity to a viral sensation, with one reel hitting 46 million views and 2.2 million shares – all without any paid promotion.

Porwal has continued to post snippets from the song nearly every day on her Instagram since she first uploaded it, resulting in the reels showing up regularly on Instagram’s For You section.

“Once lovebomber baby 10 minute version drops it’s over for Taylor Swift,” a fan posted on X.

“Vibing on lovebomber baby with grandpa was not on my 2024 bingo card,” posted another.

The song has predictably led to memes and remixes, with one layering “Lovebomber Baby” on a Taylor Swift performance. Even Netflix’s official channels have been getting in on the action.

“The whole concept of a breakup song is mad. Someone crushes your heart and the first thing you do is to sing a song and pull a lot of dance moves. Love it,” commented one user.

“Why did you ghost me? You said you loved me/ Why did you ghost me? You said you loved me/ Those lovely promises were fake or what?” are some of the lyrics of the song.

“The guy who ghosted her better apologise after this banger,” wrote a commentator on YouTube.

A large part of the song’s appeal lies in its clear “cringe pop” roots – a label Porwal is not comfortable with.

The song’s lyrics, which discuss the concept of love-bombing – a form of emotional manipulation tactic – are written in a casual, conversational style. While Porwal says some listeners have embraced the song’s message and have even told her it helped them forget their exes, others have made fun of it or labelled it cringe-worthy.

Porwal insists that “Lovebomber Baby” isn’t a parody, and is based on her experience with a romantic partner, who lovebombed her at first, and then ghosted her, leaving her confused.

“People are making jokes about it. Some are calling it cringe because they don’t understand my perspective,” she says.

“Had it been funny, I would have been laughing in the video. I put a lot of work into the song – it’s meant to be a proper song, not a joke.

“See, if I wanted to do something funny, why would I spend money on professional mixing and mastering of the song? Why would I record in a studio? Why would I shoot a music video? I could have just made a reel out of it with some karaoke or some pianist or something.

“It’s a proper song because I intended for it to be a proper song.”

Porwal’s frustration with the “cringe” label extends beyond just her music. She believes that the term is often used to dismiss anything that doesn’t conform to mainstream standards, especially when it comes from women.

“Here’s what I think: The world is mostly fake, and people want ‘cool’ stuff. So if they don’t find it cool, they probably call it cringe. Authentic stuff is cringe, basically,” she explains.

“This idea of cringe is often applied to women more often than men. Doing anything against the norm is harder for women, and if someone’s managing to break that barrier, we should encourage them.

“There are all these rules for how a woman’s life needs to look – if you get married at the ‘right time’ it’s okay, otherwise you get called a spinster. But why must our lives look that way?”

Despite the backlash, Porwal remains focused on her music and its message.

“I want the song to be about celebrating yourself because life is too short to keep sobbing on stuff. It’s about self-love – like, love yourself first,” she says.

“Right now, I’m the only one handling my social media. So I genuinely don’t have the time to see everything, but I have seen some of the hate, people making fun of my voice, the lyrics.

“I’m seeing it, but that’s fine. I mean, of course, I don’t like being trolled, but I’m trying not to absorb it.

“Because if I absorb that kind of negativity, then I won’t be able to do anything.”

As for what’s next, Porwal envisions a future where her music and skills continue to grow.

“I see myself getting proper vocal training, learning the technical aspects of producing a song, and being on a huge stage. I want to ensure that I have a regular income from music and that I’m mentally and physically healthy.”

She calls herself “a work in progress” but Porwal seems to have found the secret sauce to success by embracing the chaos and letting the internet do what it does best: surprise.