Aside from her musical achievements, it’s the bold political statements of 20-year-old Danuphan Khanatheerakul, which have earned her a spot on the prestigious BBC list

The BBC has revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2022. Celebrating influential female voices across the globe, from world leaders to grassroot volunteers and everyone in between, the list is in its 10th season and has a special theme of “progress”, highlighting those standing up for changing in trying times. For the first time ever, the BBC also asked previous 100 Women to nominate others who they felt deserved to be on the 2022 list. 

While a number of women from the APAC region are represented on the list, only one Thai national made the cut: Danuphan Khanatheerakul, better known as 20-year-old rapper Milli. A major force of disruption in Thailand’s music, as well as political, scene, earlier this year, she became the first Thai solo artist to perform at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Upon finishing her performance at Coachella, Milli ate a bowl of mango sticky rice on stage—the ultimate plug for Thailand’s “soft power”. More impressively, however, the young rapper has been widely praised for publicly criticizing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the government’s poor response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Here is what the BBC said about Milli:

“Artist and songwriter Danupha Khanatheerakul, better known by her stage name Milli, uses controversial lyrics to address issues such as unrealistic beauty standards and sexual consent. She raps in multiple languages and dialects, also incorporating slang from Thailand’s transgender community. She recently announced her first debut album called BABB BUM BUM.

She became a viral sensation at the Coachella festival this year by challenging Thai stereotypes and the government, as well as eating mango sticky rice onstage, a traditional Thai dessert. Last year she faced defamation charges for criticizing the Thai government’s Covid-19 response. As a result, the hashtag #SaveMilli trended.”

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Other significant APAC region nominees include:

• Indonesian activist Velmariri Bambari, who has been fighting for victims of sexual violence in Central Sulawesi.

• Sri Lankan human rights activist Sandya Eknaligoda, who is seeking justice on behalf of missing families from across Sri Lanka’s diverse ethnic and religious communities.

• South Korean political reformer Park Ji-hyun, who anonymously helped bust one of South Korea’s biggest online sex-crime rings, known as the Nth rooms.

• Japanese climate campaigner Kimiko Hirata, a fierce opponent of coal power who has spent nearly half her life fighting to wean Japan off its dependence on fossil fuels; she is the first Japanese woman to win the Goldman Environmental Prize.

To view the full BBC 100 Women 2022 list, visit bbc.co.uk.