There's a lot of things I love in this life of mine, but in attempt to not bore you in the first sentence of this article, we'll condense it to three things: music, dancing and being a woman.
This past weekend I attended a Madame Gandhi concert in Beverly Hills that combined all of these things so wonderfully, I haven't stopped thinking about it since I walked out the door.
If you haven't heard of Madame Gandhi before, I suggest before you read any further, open up their latest EP, Voices, on Spotify and listen to it as you're reading this.
The duo is spearheaded by Kiran Gandhi, Harvard graduate, outspoken feminist, former drummer for M.I.A., and all around badass. She is joined by Alexia Riner, a female sound designer and vocalist that is equally badass.
Gandhi gained international attention as the "free-bleeding runner" when she ran the 2015 London Marathon sans-tampon, while on her period, to gain awareness for period stigma and for women around the world who don't have access to tampons and pads. In months following, Gandhi has partnered with with socially conscious organizations like ZanaAfrica and Binti, which work to provide women across the world with reproductive education, sanitary napkin access, and to dispel negative myths and connotations associated with periods.
Similar to most artists, Gandhi's music is a creative expression of everything she believes in, and a damn good one at that. I didn't stop moving the entire time she performed, captivated by the drums, beats and thought-provoking lyrics that came with each song. Men and women alike in the room seemed to be connecting with her words. In one song, titled "The Future Is Female," Gandhi sends 3:55 of powerful, equality-driven messages. My favorite line is, "I want to live in a world that is collaborative, a world that is emotionally intelligent, a world in which we are linked and not ranked." Me too, Madame Gandhi, me too.
In an interview with The Fader, Gandhi says that a concept she calls “3D femininity" was the inspiration for the album. "3D femininity, she tells me, is about allowing women to be more than the dichotomy of dependent or dominant that mainstream stereotypes perpetuate."
At one point in the evening, Gandhi played the drums along to an excerpt of Michelle Obama's speech on Donald Trump's treatment of women, a speech that was very powerful for many women across the United States during this past election.
Political views aside, many of Gandhi's messages are ones as females, we can't, and shouldn't ignore. In fact, many of these messages of equality are ones I will scream aloud for all to hear.
Gandhi described her music best in some of her lyrics, "There's power in what you say. Own your voice, don't be afraid."
Words to live by, for all genders.
