An Australian doctor turned pop singer’s viral protest song has become a hit despite controversial lyrics that saw her rejected by her record label and manager.
Iyah May, whose given name is Marguerite Clark, saw her enchanting tune Karmageddon climb to number two in the Australian iTunes download chart last week and to number 16 worldwide this week.
In the song, May claims Covid was a ‘man-made’ moneymaker for ‘big pharma’ and calls out the World Health Organisation.
However, the lyrics that reportedly led to May’s split with her manager are a reference to Israel’s conflict against Hamas and Hezbollah as “genocide,” which the singer refused to rewrite.
The song also accuses politicians of being ‘bribed for life’, spreading the news of ‘lies’ and calls out online tribalism, cancel culture and celebrity worship as contributing to the ‘chaos of the times’, which proved controversial for her previous record label. .
However, May labels Karmageddon “a song of hope” and calls it an “anthem for the people who have felt unseen, silenced, censored, discouraged and hopeless in recent years.”
“I initially thought that dropping this song would earn me a lot of hate and backlash, and while there has been some controversy, including the loss of my music manager, there has been an overwhelming amount of support from people all over the world.” , she says. wrote on Instagram in November.
“To me, this shows that so many of us have felt unseen, left out, confused and discouraged in recent years. I hear you, I see you and you are not alone.’
A controversial protest song by former Australian doctor Iyah May has gone viral despite being rejected by the singer’s former manager and record label.
The song has received admiration from some controversial political figures.
Ryan Fournier, an American right-wing activist and president of Students for Trump who was arrested in November 2023 for allegedly pistol-whipping his then-girlfriend, tweeted his appreciation at the end of last year.
“Meet Iyah May,” Fournier wrote.
“She’s an Australian-based singer who just lost a contract with her management company because she refused to change these lyrics. It’s great!’
Despite not undergoing any expensive marketing campaigns, the song has become a viral sensation, and its popularity brought it to the attention of US publication Newsweek in December.
May tweeted on Thursday that Karmaggedon was trending on YouTube at number 30.
May, whose given name is Marguerite Clark, labeled her song an “anthem of hope” for those who feel “unseen, left out, confused and discouraged.”
May, who got her first break after a chance meeting with rapper Shaggy while attending medical school in New York, has posted Instagram photos from her previous medical career
“I can’t believe it,” she wrote.
‘So many beautiful, sincere reactions, I am actually shocked.
“I can’t always respond to everyone, but know that I see you and I see your support and I’m so happy to be with you and sing about real issues.
“If this song resonates with so many people, it shows that so many of us are tired of the absolute chaos we’ve been put through in recent years. We deserve to be heard.’
May continues to campaign on social media to get Karmageddon to number one on Australian iTunes.
“Against all odds, this song is charting worldwide, thanks to you for sharing and supporting it,” she tweeted.
“The world may be a fucking mess right now, but in unity we have strength. In reality, we are healing.”
May, who got her first break from performing after a chance meeting with rapper Shaggy while attending medical school in New York, has posted Instagram photos of her in full medical gear and protective gear from a previous medical career.
“So I’ve gone back to work full time as an emergency physician while we’re going through Covid which means I have less time to work on my music and share things with you guys so that makes me sad but I’m grateful to be able to offer something different in a different way,” she wrote on an Instagram post.
May was born in the far north Queensland city of Cairns and has lived mostly in Brisbane, but is now based in Sydney, according to her website.