Kiran Gandhi (born February 21, 1989), also known by her stage name Madame Gandhi, is an American electronic music producer, drummer, artist and activist. Gandhi's music career includes being a touring drummer for artists

M.I.A. Mia, Mía, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (American band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA. (German band), a German rock/pop band formed in ...

Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop, electronica, and Brazilian music, ...

, and

Kehlani Kehlani Ashley Parrish ( ; born April 24, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. She is originally from Oakland, California, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen pop group PopLyfe in 2011. Kehlani's debut mixtape, '' ...

. Her music and activism focuses on female empowerment and

fourth-wave feminism Fourth-wave feminism is a feminist movement that began around 2012 and is characterized by a focus on the empowerment of women, the use of internet tools, and intersectionality. According to Rosemary Clark-Parsons, digital platforms have allow ...

. In 2015, Gandhi ran the

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

bleeding freely on her period to combat the

menstrual stigma Menstrual stigma, also known as period stigma, refers to the negative social and Culture and menstruation, cultural perceptions, beliefs, taboos, and practices surrounding menstruation and those who menstruate. It encompasses the perception of men ...

people face around the world, sparking a viral conversation about how menstruation is treated in various cultures. She has performed in music festivals such as

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

Lightning in a Bottle Lightning in a Bottle (LIB) is an annual music festival in the Central Valley region of California. It was first held in 2004. It is presented by The Do LaB, which seeks to promote sustainability, social cohesion, and creative expression. The ...

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

and

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Life and career

Early life and education

Gandhi, born February 21, 1989, is the daughter of philanthropist

Meera Gandhi Meera Teresa Gandhi is the founder and CEO of The Giving Back Foundation. Early life and education Gandhi was born in Mumbai, India to an Irish mother and a Gujarati people, Gujarati father. At the age of 16, she met Mother Teresa and worked wi ...

and social entrepreneur Vikram Gandhi. Growing up, Gandhi spent time in both

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, India. In 2011, Gandhi received her undergraduate degree in mathematics, political science and women's studies from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. After graduating she began an internship as the first digital analyst at

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

based in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, California. This position later became full-time. Gandhi used her mathematics skill to analyze patterns in

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

streaming data and other digital media. In 2015 Gandhi received her MBA from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Early career

In 2012, Gandhi recorded live drums accompanying the M.I.A. track "Bad Girls." In February 2013, M.I.A. wrote to Gandhi praising the recording and asked her to play drums for the tour supporting the album ''

Matangi Matangi (, ) is a Hindu goddess. She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten Tantric goddesses and an aspect of the Hindu Divine Mother. She is considered to be the Tantric form of Sarasvati, the goddess of music and learning. Matangi governs speech, ...

''. At the same time Gandhi accepted an offer to study at Harvard Business School. Gandhi left Interscope Records in 2013.

2016-2017: Voices

In 2016, her debut musical release, ''Voices (EP)'', was published. In 2017, Gandhi collaborated with female-identifying producers to release ''Voices Remixed''. That year, she also ran the

Vancouver Marathon The BMO Vancouver Marathon is an annual race held on the first Sunday of May each year in Vancouver, British Columbia. As the second largest international marathon in Canada, it has a certified running distance of 26 miles and 385 yards long. The ...

and was the opening act for

Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influenc ...

's Rise Up Tour. Gandhi toured Europe and India and also spoke at

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...

Pandora Radio Pandora is a subscription-based music streaming service owned by the broadcasting corporation Sirius XM that is based in Oakland, California in the United States. The service carries a focus on recommendations based on the " Music Genome Proje ...

, Spotify, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, and on college campuses.

2019: Visions

In 2019, Gandhi's second musical release, ''Visions (EP)'', was published, beginning her new partnership with Sony Music Masterworks.

Public image

In 2015, Gandhi ran the London Marathon bleeding freely on her period as a symbolic act to combat the menstrual stigma that women, girls and trans people face around the world. She is openly queer.

Awards

Best Music Video jury award winner 2021 at SXSW 2020 Ted Fellow Gandhi was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020. Gandhi was in Forbes
30 Under 30
class of 2019 2015 Harvard University Fitzie Foundation Prize Winner

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Kiran Electronica musicians Singers from Boston Living people Harvard Business School alumni Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences alumni 1989 births American LGBTQ singers American people of Indian descent American feminists American people of Irish descent Queer singers Indian LGBTQ singers 21st-century American women singers