Indonesian Girl Group No Na Release Debut Album 'Island Girl'
Indonesian girl group No Na released their debut album Island Girl via 88rising on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The group — Baila, Christy, Esther, and Shaz — told NME in an interview that two things unite them: a love of R&B, and a drive to bring their culture to a global audience. Island Girl is built around exactly that, folding Indonesian cultural references and the music its members grew up on into a pop and R&B frame.
Two halves, two directions
According to NME's review, the album's first half leans hard into Indonesian cultural elements. Party track "Honk!" builds its momentum around a bit that welcomes listeners aboard an angkot (Indonesian minibus), while single "Work" uses the metallic clang of the traditional ceng-ceng percussion instrument as its hook. The more laid-back "Seafood Diet" is singled out as a highlight — even without directly sampling traditional instrumentation, its island atmosphere alone signals the group's identity.
The back half shifts toward '80s-influenced pop and R&B. "Durian" is called the album's most complete dance-pop cut, with a lineage NME traces directly to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," driven by lead vocals from Esther and Baila. "Dizzy" and "Chaser" are cited as similarly uptempo tracks.
Where culture and genre meet
The title track "Island Girl" sets a first-love story to synth-pop rhythm, with a chorus line — "santai di pantai" (relaxing on the beach) — before shifting into a slower, more ballad-like closing section. "Party In The +62" moves into new jack swing territory, with cheeky lyrics suggesting that anyone who wants to talk to them should learn their language first.
NME also credits the album's sequencing with doing a lot of the connective work: the quiet-storm-influenced "Smooth" is placed early to prime listeners for the record's '80s leanings, while the dance-heavy "Honk!" is followed by the equally high-energy "Dizzy" to smooth the transition between the album's two halves.
Album details
- Album: Island Girl (No Na's debut)
- Release date: September 19, 2026
- Label: 88rising
- Review source: NME
Tracks cited in the review
- "Honk!"
- "Work"
- "Seafood Diet"
- "Smooth"
- "Dizzy"
- "Chaser"
- "Durian"
- "Island Girl"
- "Party In The +62"