A righteous celebration of International Womxn’s Day ends with the realization that every day is International Womxn’s Day. But while the spotlight is bright on elevating the female voice, we present you with one of the most vibrant ambassadors for #TheFutureIsFemale movement. Kiran “Madame” Gandhi brings art and activism into a seamless future-pop vehicle dedicated to changing narratives and confronting our collective psycho-social ruts with a sense of whimsy and play and trap-hats and barreling bass. And her empowered stance doesn’t relate solely to gender issues, putting her Harvard Business School degree to work in creating a DIY business model which can make her feel like an entire movement in singular human form. I’d been waiting some time to connect with her for a proper on-camera interview; that we did it on the day of the 2018 Women’s March, at the art and activism festival Into Action, and that we are sharing it during Womxn’s month, suggests that the stars are rightly aligned. So without further ado, our interview with the great Madame Gandhi:
You should watch that conversation to get the proper primer, but some more info for you to take on the go: Kiran Gandhi aka Madame Gandhi is a Harvard educated former drummer for M.I.A. who arrived in our collective consciousness as the London Marathon’s inspiring free-bleeding runner, and folded the energy of that moment into a solo EP titled Voices. Her live show blends bangers with empowerment, setting spoken-word-rap-sung melodies to a stew of electronic production, live percussion, and even liver audience participation.
All told, there is no artist that better defines what it means to be REVOLT than Madame Gandhi.
And more than anything, she’s using all of this to preach about the ways in which strictly patriarchal systems of thought have let us down, and the need for feminine energy in the mix. But hold up: What exactly does #TheFutureIsFemale mean to Madame Gandhi?
“To me #TheFutureIsFemale is about saying, ‘What can we learn from the feminine energy in all of us to create alternate forms of leadership when current hyper-masculine forms of leadership fail us?’” Gandhi says. “And I think with having someone like Donald Trump in the White House, who is motivated by aggression, and by ego — I like to say, ‘How can we be more emotionally intelligent? How can we be more peaceful in our communication? How can we be more collaborative, instead of competitive?’ Even if you look at the way the [Women’s] March was this morning, and the way it was last year: the biggest march in the history of the entire world and yet also the most peaceful. So, justice doesn’t have to look violent, it can actually look very calm and very beautiful, and to me that’s what the feminine spirit brings, and that’s what #TheFutureIsFemale means.”
Kiran is clearly message-motivated, but don’t let the breadth of her eloquence or the passion of her oratory eclipse the fundamental draw of the Madame Gandhi experience: music, infectious pop that nods to her former employer M.I.A. in its polyglot, world-tipping, Ableton infused DNA.
Over the course of the convo, we talk about what’s next for her sounds, her activism, and beyond. Dig in up there — and as a bonus, we jumped into a conversation about immigration, which you can find right here:
To further synergize with Kiran’s movement, find her @MadameGandhi on Instagram, and @MadameGandhi on Twitter, or on Facebook — or hit a #TheFutureIsFemale hashtag at a social media platform near you.
As she mentioned, there’s a new set of music coming soon. For now, here’s her EP Voices:
And more…