In Stable Condition: Iyah May and Karmageddon Song
Too hot for the record label, a hit for the social media masses
The whole world is in a transitional phase.
The Cold Wars of the past are still lingering on, but change is springing up all over. First, the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as America’s president, and now an Australian Instagram doctor/singer goes viral after refusing to change her song lyrics.
You know things are different when a millennial gains fame with a stunning protest song.
The U.S. president may still be a boomer, but it’s refreshing to hear a strong perspective from someone in her mid-thirties.
All my protest music heroes are either relying on the old set playlist or passed away.
The Mysterious Iyah May
Adversity is not only a teacher, it is an opportunity, especially with the advantage of social media.
Iyah May walked away from a record label deal. She broke a contract with her manager, who wanted to change a few key lyric lines in her first track.
But she stood her ground as an artist first and foremost. That takes guts at any age.
After posting her predicament on Instagram, the new independent singer found herself in a swirl of viral popularity. It caught the attention of a political activist, Ryan Fournier, who shared it on Twitter/X and the song took off.
To demonstrate the reach of social media and the power of advocacy, all of this occurred just last December. No record label could match that speed.
The American media has labeled her as “the new darling of the political right”, but that is blatant bias by the establishment.
And this is why. The song tackles a full menu of hot-button issues:
“Twitter wars and Gaza”
“People less important than a profit line”
“Man made virus watch the millions die”
“More than war it's genocide”
“Turn on the news and eat their lies”
As May herself explained about Karmageddon:
This song is an anthem for all of you and for anyone who just wants a better world, a peaceful world and for all these horrendous disgusting injustices to STOP. We the people have the power. Trust in your integrity, trust in God’s work.
Doctor My Eyes
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Iyah May worked as a frontline doctor in a hospital Emergency division.
So she has a good grasp of the issues and a unique perspective carved out by experience. This is not your ordinary pop music singer.
While researching HIV as a medical student in New York City, she met the rapper, Shaggy, performed a cover song and started her solo career.
Despite her cute and innocent looks, May possesses a sharp tongue. The lyrics in Karmageddon shoot out like rapid machine gun fire:
Gender, guns, religion and abortion rights
You better pick a tribe and hate the other side
Corporations swear they never lie
Politicians bribed for life
And I've still got a beef
Cause Fauci's laughing and we've been asleep
And WHO's a liar and it's running deep
Big pharma finna eat they a devil make them weak
What a litany of social despair and disintegration. It packs a targeted punch.
Her website describes how:
The song doesn't shy away from addressing the pandemic narrative, corruption within political, pharmaceutical, and health institutions, the Israel-Palestine conflict, violence against women and the social chaos that has swept through the world in the past few years.
Coda
Though heavily produced, Karmageddon is not polished. It’s potent in its raw state.
It’s a simple act of waking up, scrolling the news on your phone and feeling like the world is a disaster. The artist just narrates what she sees.
That is the purpose of music to provide a perspective from fresh faces.
What was the record label trying to protect by changing lyric lines? You’d have to change every other line to appease the profit-makers.
Karmageddon is an atomic blast that targets the woes of a soulless society.
In her bio, May explains:
I channeled my frustration into Karmageddon. My career as a doctor has been greatly impacted, and I was affected on a deep and personal level. For a long time, I felt isolated with my opinions. This song reflects the helplessness many of us feel in these dark times.
Truth is an elixir.
And now the good doctor is healthy and ready to sing her heart out.
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