MC MANMEET Kaur calls herself a hypocrite without batting an eyelid. The Punjab-bred rapper candidly expresses how her latest EP, Neophilia, is all about the contradictions in her life and her perceptions. We caught up with the artiste on the sidelines of her maiden gig to the city. Excerpts:
This is your first gig in Kolkata, what are you expecting from your audience here?
I am very interested in interacting with as many artistes as possible. I sense that the city would be sceptical of what they see or hear and I am totally curious to see their expressions when I perform. It’s not like Goa, a known touristy place, when I know they are not listening, and I wouldn’t care too much about how they are reacting to the lyrics.
Tell us about Neophilia.
Neophilia is more like analysis and appreciation of human nature. It means constantly trying to explore new and unfamiliar things and trying to understand it. For me, it was something that I had experienced through my travel in different societies.
Tell us about the songs in the album.
There are 10 songs and it starts with a declaration. It’s like ‘If you see me for the pride then you please ensure that you ignore that so that I don’t remain in that face of an ego boost...’ Starting from that I have also appreciated the things that we are blessed with and we don’t notice. In another track, I have admitted my fears of love and failure in relationships and also things that concern me from the music industry, media and more.
Why do you say that the album is your mirror image?
It’s a mirror image of me but the image is broken; it is distorted. This makes people unable to connect the two dots. I am a hypocrite. I smoke, but I am concerned about the environment. I am not really an open book but if there are some pages which might make sense for the audience to read, they can, rest can be ignored.
What made you choose rapping?
The ability to place a lot of words in a limited time and have the finesse of making things clear and create a pattern in the listener’s head and trap them in that rhythm. That potential attracted me to it at that time.
What are you looking for in the future?
The aim is to perform with newer musicians. Also, I am working on a new EP.