Madame Gandhi is a musician and activist, who first rose to prominence drumming for M.I.A. and has since earned praise for her records Voices and Visions. Born Kiran Gandhi, the electrofeminist artist has released several powerful records, and has performed with the likes of Lizzo, Krewella and Kehlani. In 2019, she was named by Forbes as one of 30 Under 30 currently working in music.
Gandhi’s first job in the music industry was at Interscope Records, where she was the company’s first digital analyst, evaluating streaming data from Spotify and other then-emergent platforms. While here, she caught the attention of forward-thinking singer and rapper M.I.A., and went on to perform on her single Bad Girls and to join her band on tour. Gandhi has since performed at festivals including South by Southwest, Pitchfork, Roskilde and Lightning in a Bottle, has opened for Ani DiFranco, and has toured with electronic duo Thievery Corporation and R&B artist Kehlani. She released her debut EP Voices in 2016, and later collaborated with artists including Shiva, Caleb Stone and TT The Artist on Voices Remixed. In 2019, she released follow-up EP Visions, which included the hits See Me Thru and Top Knot Turn Up.
Gandhi studied political science, mathematics and women’s studies at Georgetown University, and has since gained an MBA from Harvard Business School. An advocate for female empowerment, she won praise from many in 2015 when she ran the London Marathon whilst free-bleeding. In articles she wrote after the event, she sought to combat menstrual stigma and period shaming, and sparked a cultural conversation that quickly spread across the world. She has since spoken at the United Nations, at university campuses internationally, and at companies including Spotify and Pandora Radio.