Bakom projektet Madame Gandhi hittar vi Kiran Gandhi, musiker, sångerska och politisk aktivist baserad i Los Angeles, och ljuddesignern Alexia Riner. Vi passade på att fråga ut Kiran inför helgens spelning på Clandestino Festival.
Hi Kiran! How are you?
– Really good thank you!
Did you always know music was going to be your thing?
– Yes, I was always dancing and singing, it was meant to be. Sometimes we have to pay attention to what we have organically been drawn to from childhood, it helps us know what we are meant to do.
When and why did you choose the drums as your instrument?
– I loved the power of it, the rebelliousness of it, but mostly the self expression of it. It built my confidence. I loved getting better. I loved expressing myself through my beats and rhythms. And it gave me the ability to play with so many different people, as it does today.
”This project is the merging of my passions: music and feminism.”
Tell us a bit about Madame Gandhi! How did this project start, and where is it headed?
– This project is the merging of my passions: music and feminism. It is about using music to elevate and celebrate the female voice. It is about making my favorite types of music come together: electronics, drums and vocals. My last name is Gandhi, and he used to always say, ”you must be the change you wish to see in the world”. So I am trying to make the musical project I wish to see in the world – a bunch of badass women on stage turning up to the sounds of modern gender equality and liberation!
What’s the process like when you write a song?
– Usually I write the melody and lyrics when I am traveling or running or have time alone, then I record them into my phone. Later when I’m at my computer or in the studio, I start writing the drum beats and melodies around it, or I’ll seek out a collaborator whom I think is best to help bring the song to life.
How important are the lyrics?
– The most important.
How did you end up in LA?
– I am happiest here – it is peaceful, joyful and I can hear myself think.
How do we achieve a female future?
– By giving women and people of all genders the space and freedom from oppression to be their most authentic self.
Madame Gandhi är en av liveakterna när Clandestino Festival intar Pustervik lördag den 10 juni kl 19–23.
