Kiran Gandhi

Her work spans music and advocacy, with a focus on gender equality and environmental sustainability.

• Name — Kiran Gandhi • Born — 21 February 1989 • Other Names — Madame Gandhi • Education — Georgetown University (BA) Harvard University (MBA) Stanford University (MST) • Occupation — * Musician • Producer • Drummer • Activist • Mother — Meera Gandhi

Gandhi, born February 21, 1989, is the daughter of philanthropist Meera Gandhi and social entrepreneur Vikram Gandhi. Growing up, Gandhi spent time in both New York City and Mumbai, India. Gandhi attended the Chapin School in the Upper East Side of New York City between 1994 and 2007 apart from the three years she attended St. Anne's School and American School of Bombay in Mumbai, India, between 1997 and 2000. In 2011, Gandhi received her undergraduate degree in mathematics, political science and women's studies from Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, she became involved in music performance and collaborated with artist including Thievery Corporation, appearing at events such as the Bonnaroo Music Festival. After graduating, her job as the first digital analyst at Interscope Records was based in Santa Monica, California, where she analyzed patterns in Spotify streaming data and other digital media. She later earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2015. Gandhi received her Master of Arts at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), where her work included recording environmental sounds as part of research on music and climate awareness.

In 2012, Gandhi recorded a video of herself playing live drums to 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. At the same time Gandhi accepted an offer to study at Harvard Business School. Gandhi left Interscope Records in 2013.

In 2016, her debut musical release, Voices (EP), was published. It introduced Gandhi's percussive electronic sound, blending lie drumming with feminist themes. The track "The Future Is Female" gained early traction, later appearing on Spotify's U.S. Viral Top 50 chart. In 2017, Gandhi collaborated with female-identifying producers to release Voices Remixed. That year, she also was the opening act for Ani DiFranco's Rise Up Tour. Gandhi toured Europe and India and also spoke at Airbnb, Pandora Radio, Spotify, the United Nations, and on college campuses.

In 2019, Gandhi's second musical release, Visions (EP), was published, beginning her new partnership with Sony Music Masterworks. The EP expanded Gandhi's electronic production style with layered percussion and synth-driven arrangements. The track "Bad habits" was featured in The New York Times, while "Top Know Turn Up" received coverage from NYLON. In 2020, Gandhi performed at NPR Tiny Desk remotely as part of their Tiny Desk at Home series, and was featured on Times Square billboards as part of Spotify's Asian Heritage Month campaign. In 2021, she appeared in "Music Requires Listening", the promotional video for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2022, Gandhi released Vibrations (EP), the final installment of her "V" trilogy, through Sony Music Masterworks, which further developed her rhythmic, electronic sound with an emphasis on groove-based production and collaborative songwriting. In November 2023, she toured the album on a headlining tour at venues such as the Boston Museum of Science, the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and Brooklyn Bowl on the East Coast, and Cafe Du Nord and the Troubadour on the West Coast, followed by dates in the United Kingdom and Europe in 2024.

In 2023, Gandhi supported Hayley Kiyoko on her Panorama Tour at the Fillmore in San Francisco, and later that year performed at Carnegie Hall as part of the U.S.-China Culture Foundation's 20th anniversary celebration. In 2024, she opened for Pauli the PSM on the Saucy Tour at the Lafayette in London, and was scheduled to appear alongside Jamila Woods for additional UK and European dates, which were subsequently cancelled. That year, Gandhi also performed at PARiTY Paris in connection with the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In 2025, she participated in showcase performances at SXSW in both Austin and London, and appeared at Milan Fashion Week, walking in the Pierre-Louis Mascia Fall/Winter 2025 "Bright Star" collection show. In 2024 and 2025, Gandhi expanded her international presence with performances across Europe, including appearances at Tallinn Music Week in Estonia, Fengaros Festivalin in Cyprus, and International Music Summit in Spain.

In May 2025, Gandhi released Let Me Be Water, a full-length album created in collaboration with We Make Noise and over 40 women and gender-expansive artists, incorporating field recordings of nature and themes of environmental awareness. The album blends electronic production with ambient textures, rhythmic percussion, and spoken-word elements. KEXP described it as "a deep, soulful collection of reflections, mantras, and celebrations," highlighting its meditative and interceptive tone. Gandhi announced a series of international summer tour dates, beginning with Rising Baba Yaga in Austria. That June, she attended the Coral Rave closing event at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, and performed at Glastonbury Festival, where she also participated as a panelist on sustainability. During the summer, she opened for Femi Kuti on select tour dates and performed alongside Brian Eno at Wembley Stadium for Together for Palestine. She also appeared at Boom Festival in Portugal and concluded the tour with performance at MUTEK in Montreal, Canada.

In March 2026, Gandhi launched Love Letters from Brooklyn (EP) in collaboration with Gender Amplified and introduced through a series of intimate live performances, including an album launch at National Sawdust in New York City. The EP features five tracks that blend R&B and organic pop with visceral vocal performances. The album was developed a year ago through a women-led 3-day songwriting camp with equitable splits, emphasizing collaboration, artistic equity, and empowerment at Hyperballad Music in Brooklyn.

On August 14, 2026, Gandhi released EKTĀ, a New Age mantra and meditation album whose title is Sanskrit for "oneness." The album is credited to a collaborative billing with Alexx Antaeus, Cafe De Anatolia, and Amani Sol, and was submitted for Grammy consideration in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category. It extends Gandhi's ongoing work in guided meditation and sound-based mindfulness, following her three 2026 guided-meditation releases Antarctica: Guided Meditation, Arctic: Guided Meditation, and Amazon: Guided Meditation.

The foundation of Gandhi environmental sound work is informed by her studies in music, science and technology at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustic (CCRMA), which she completed in 2022. Her work has included the use of field recordings and hydrophones to capture natural sound environments and incorporate them into music production. In June 2021, Gandhi and her collaborators released the Sound MANA (Music, Art, Nature, Awareness)pack on Splice, and in November 2021 it was awarded the New.Wave award for innovation and boundary pushing in the music industry. In 2022, she participated in an expedition to Antarctica, where she recorded environmental sounds including glaciers, wildlife, and ocean ice. These recordings were later developed into sound libraries and music project, with proceeds supporting environmental initiatives. She has continued this work through recordings in locations including the Arctic and the Amazon rainforest, incorporating natural soundscapes into her 2025 album Let Me Be Water. Gandhi has also collaborated with EarthPercent and its "Sounds Right" initiative, which credits nature as a contributing artist on recordings and directs a portion of streaming revenue towards conservation efforts. She has contributed recordings to the initiative with songs "In Purpose (feat. NATURE)" (2024), "Let Me Be Water (feat. NATURE)" (2025), and "All in All (feat. NATURE)" (2026) and participated in related events and programming. Her climate advocacy extends beyond recordings and into the live events industry. In February 2025, she co-hosted the International AGF Awards ceremony in London alongside AGF CEO Claire O'Neil, concluding the 17th edition of the Green Events and Innovation (GEI) conference. The awards honored more than 30 events, venues and innovators from 14 countries across nine sustainability categories including power, water, food, and travel. Gandhi also performed live alongside EarthPercent and Sounds Right at the Javitz Center in New York during Climate Week NYC in September 2024, and performed live at COP30 in Brazil in November 2025 as part of her ongoing engagement with intentional climate platforms.

In 2015, Gandhi ran the London Marathon while free-bleeding as a statement against menstrual stigma. The act received international media coverage and contributed to broader public discussion around menstrual health and gender equity. She has since involved in advocacy and creative projects addressing menstrual health and representation. In 2016, she collaborated with poet Rupi Kaur on the project Sun Spill, part of the #LetsFaceItPeriod campaign supporting menstrual health initiatives. Gandhi also composed the score for Periodical, a documentary on menstrual health that premiered at SXSW in 2023. Her music has frequently addressed theme of gender equity. Her song "The Future is Female," released in 2016, gained wider attention following the 2017 Women's March, and was later featured in the Apple TV+ series Gutsy. Gandhi has also advocated for greater gender representation in the music industry, frequently collaborating with women and gender-expansive artists across her projects.

Gandhi has incorporated LGBTQ+ representation into her visual and musical work. Her music videos, including "See Me Thru" (2020) and "Waiting For Me" (2020), have featured queer and gender expansive casts and collaborators. She has also participated in LGBTQ+ focused events and organizations, including speaking engagements at Lesbians Who Tech + Allies summits. In 2026, she performed at the Stonewall Inn in New York City as part of a political fundraising event.

Gandhi has held leadership and advisory roles across music and social impact organizations. She has served as a board member of Gender Amplified and as a governor of the San Francisco chapter of The Recording Academy. Her work in menstrual equity includes recognition as a Menstrual Health Warrior with Desai Foundation. She has also contributed as a mentor and collaborate with initiatives supporting gender equity in music, including programs such as She Is The Music, Equalize Her, Gender Amplified, and We Make Noise, and has been involved with organizations including EarthPercent, Costaphonics, Give a Beat, and other advocacy-focused groups.

Gandhi has openly identified as queer and uses she/her pronouns, describing her generation's understanding of queerness as centered on rejecting the gender binary and exploring non-traditional relationship structures. In interviews, she has framed her broader feminist vision as explicitly inclusive of queer and trans identities, calling for a true paradigm shift.

• Antarctica: Guided Meditation (2025) • Arctic: Guided Meditation (2025) • Let Me Be Water (2025) • Amazon: Guided Meditation (2025) • EKTĀ (2026)

• Voice (2016) • Voice EP Remixed (2017) • Visions (2019) • Visions Remixed (2020) • Vibrations (2022) • Rise! (2025) • Love Letters from Brooklyn (2026)

• Her (2016) • Gandhi Blue (Gizzle Remix) (2017) • Top Knot Turn Up (2018) • Bad Habits (2018) • Her (Will LV Remix) (2018) • See Me Thru (Sarah Farina Remix) (2020) • Freedom (2020) • After You (2020) • Young Indian Reimagined (2020) • Crystal & Congas (2022) • Set Me Free (2022) • In Purpose (feat. NATURE) (2024) • Pisces Knockout (2025) • Let Me Be Water (feat. NATURE) (2025)