“Lovebomber Baby” singer Gagni Porwal on the reaction to the viral hit: “It’s supposed to be a real song, not a joke”

AAn Indian singer's viral hit about ghosting her lover has taken over social media, becoming the background music to Instagram posts and dividing users over whether the song's groovy beats and cheesy videography are intended as a parody.

Gagni Porwal's “Lovebomber Baby” has been viewed over 877,000 times on YouTube and received more than 32,000 likes. The song's lyrics call out the unfeeling lover who “took my heart, crushed it hard and ripped it to pieces.”

“I made the song in April and nobody noticed,” says Porwal The Independent in an interview. “I just started making videos and posting them every day, no advertising. Then suddenly, almost overnight, things took off.”

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,” she says. “But I was also good academically, so I focused more on studying. But my father worked in defense, so I sang at army festivals, in the army band and at my school's cultural programs.”

Only after completing her training did she decide that it was time to devote herself to music professionally – a decision that her parents initially viewed with skepticism.

“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 that kind of attention.”

“Lovebomber Baby” suddenly gained popularity on social media in late June, months after its release. Within a week, the song went from relative obscurity to a viral sensation, with one reel reaching 46 million views and 2.2 million shares—all without paid promotion.

Porwal has been posting clips of the song almost daily on her Instagram account since first uploading it, so the reels regularly appear in Instagram's “For You” section.

“Once the 10 minute version of Lovebomber Baby comes out, it's over for Taylor Swift,” posted one fan on X.

“Fucking Grandpa on Lovebomber Baby was not on my bingo card for 2024,” posted another.

As expected, the song has inspired memes and remixes, including a remix of “Lovebomber Baby” set to a Taylor Swift performance. Even Netflix's official channels have gotten in on the action.

“The whole concept of a breakup song is crazy. Someone breaks your heart and the first thing you do is sing a song and bust out tons of dance moves. I love it,” one user commented.

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

“The guy who ghosted her better apologize after this bout of violence,” wrote one commenter on YouTube.

Much of the song’s appeal comes from its clear “cringe-pop” roots – a label Porwal is uncomfortable with.

The song's lyrics, which deal with the concept of love bombing – a form of emotional manipulation – are written in a casual, colloquial style. While Porwal says some listeners have embraced the song's message and even told her it helped them forget their exes, others have made fun of it or called it embarrassing.

Porwal insists that “Lovebomber Baby” is not a parody and is based on her experiences with her partner, who first showered her with declarations of love and then ignored her, which left her confused.

“People joke about it. Some call it embarrassing because they don't understand my point of view,” she says.

“If it had been funny, I would have laughed in the video. I put a lot of work into the song – it's supposed to be a real song, not a joke.

“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 make a music video? I could have just made a reel out of it, with karaoke or a pianist or something.

“It's a real song because I intended it to be a real song.”

Porwal's frustration with the label “embarrassing” goes beyond her music. She believes 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 largely artificial and people want 'cool' stuff, so if they don't think it's cool, they're probably calling it embarrassing. Authentic stuff is basically embarrassing,” she explains.

“This notion of embarrassment is more often attributed to women than to men. Doing something that goes against the norm is more difficult for women, and if someone manages to break through that barrier, we should encourage them to do so.

“There are all these rules about what a woman's life should be like – if you get married at the 'right time' it's OK, otherwise you're called an old maid. But why does our life have to be like this?”

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

“I want the song to be about celebrating yourself, because life is too short to constantly cry about things. It's about self-love – about loving yourself first,” she says.

“Right now I'm the only one managing my social media, so I really don't have the time to see everything, but I've seen some of the hate, people making fun of my voice and the lyrics.

“I see it, but that's OK. I mean, of course I don't like being trolled, but I try not to absorb it.

“Because if I absorb that kind of negativity, then I am not able to do anything.”

As for the future, Porwal envisions a future where her music and skills continue to grow.

“I envision myself getting proper vocal training, learning the technical aspects of song production and performing on a big stage. I want to make sure I have a steady income from music and am mentally and physically healthy.”

She describes herself as “a work in progress,” but Porwal seems to have found the secret recipe for success: she embraces chaos and lets the Internet do what it does best: surprise.