“The hyphen-rich vocalist-percussionist-speaker-producer-activist’s vibe isn’t so much “singer-songwriter” as “icon of empowerment.” Her frenetic odes to feminism, fluidity and freedom — carried off with the assistance of an entirely female or nonbinary band — mash together fragments of electro-pop, trap, Afrobeat and R&B, carried off with endless swagger.” – NPR. Kiran “Madame” Gandhi — who began as a percussionist for M.I.A, before exploding into a genre-defying musical artist — has navigated many paths to get to this place of peace. A decade ago, her free-bleeding London Marathon run went viral, challenging stigmas around menstruation. Five years later, she delivered a mainstage TED Talk (“Why We Must Stop Dancing to the Sound of Our Own Oppression”) which elucidated her music-activism and gained millions of views online. Shortly after, the video for her song “Waiting For Me” won a Jury Award at SXSW 2021. In between, she toured with Daybreaker opening Oprah’s stadium tour, and her music was featured on Gutsy, Hillary Clinton’s AppleTV+ series, and Netflix’s Never Have I Ever. Recently, she received the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Abe Olman Prize and was elected governor of her local Grammy chapter, championing unsung talent. Looking back, it’s clear Kiran has incrementally lived up to her name, which means “ray of light” in Sanskrit. Kiran will perform a live set of her new music on Saturday, and rock at DJ set on Sunday.
