Kiran Gandhi toured the world as M.I.A’s drummer, earned a business degree from Harvard, and trained to run a marathon, all at the same time, but there’s a lot more to her than that. She’s an outspoken, ambitious, radical young woman who pours herself and her skills into gender equality, especially within the music industry. Kiran made headlines, both positive and negative, after she ran the 2015 London Marathon as a “free-bleeder,” or without a tampon. We talk about how to handle pushback and criticism, about her wholesome but unconventional upbringing, about living spontaneously, about the role of gatekeepers, and how to find your own “inner Madame.”
RELATED LINKS:
15 Best Lessons I Learned at HBS
D.C. Lady Parts Justice ‘V to Shining V’ party to feature Kiran Gandhi
Donate to Breast Cancer Care the organization that Kiran ran for in the 2015 London Marathon.
Kiran's Website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
MUSIC this week is by our guest, Kiran Gandhi herself. All the beats you heard in this episode came from Kiran. She’s working on a musical project of her own where she drums, sings, and lives life as a “young, bossy, busy lady”, otherwise known as Madame Gandhi.
CREDITS:
Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
Illustration by Christine Cover
“I do have a business school degree and I worked in the music industry, but then I also have this radical, feminist, art, shock culture brain that I value. And I think my journey is going to be trying to reconcile the two and in doing that, providing solutions for the next generation.”
Current City: NYC
What are you listening to now? Fantasy by Alina Baraz
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Mulan
Who is your career role model? Kimberly Thompson, jazz drummer
What is a tool you can't live without? My vocal loop pedal; Beats headphones
How do you take your coffee/tea? Iced Cold Brew; black OR Hot Almond Milk Latte when in Boston!
What's your spirit animal? Panther
UPCOMING APPEARANCES:
10.15 Berklee College Music Minds, Discussion, Boston, MA
10.16 The Femme Show, Performance Art, Boston, MA
10.17 The Femme Show, Performance Art, Boston, MA
10.20 UCLA Feminism In Action, Speaker, Los Angeles, CA
10.26 The Hum, Kaki King feat. Kiran Gandhi Show, NYC, NY
10.27 Future of Music Conference, Panel, Washington, DC
10.28 Vanderbilt University Music, Panel, Nashville, TN
11.02 Ableton Loop Conference, Panel, Berlin, Germany
11.10 SF Music Tech Summit, Panel, San Francisco, CA
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Morph
Atomic Living: Kiran Gandhi at TEDxBrooklyn