An Australian doctor-turned-pop singer’s viral protest song has become a chart-topping hit despite the controversial lyrics seeing her rejected by her record label and manager.
Iyah May, born Marguerite Clark, saw her spellbinding track Karmageddon climb to number two on the Australian iTunes downloads chart last week and number 16 worldwide this week.
In the song, May claims Covid was a “man-made” moneymaker for “big pharma” and criticizes the World Health Organization.
However, the lyric that allegedly sparked May’s breakup with her manager is 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,” the news of “spreading lies,” and denounces online tribalism, cancel culture, and celebrity worship as adding to the “chaos of the times”, which proved too controversial for his previous record label. .
However, May calls Karmageddon “a song of hope,” calling it an “anthem for people who have felt invisible, silenced, censored, heartbroken and hopeless over the last few years.”
“At first I thought releasing this song would bring me a lot of hate and backlash, and although 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,” he said. he wrote on Instagram in November.
‘To me, this shows that many of us have felt invisible, excluded, confused and disheartened over the last few 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 attracted the admiration of 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 gratitude late last year.
“Meet Iyah May,” Fournier wrote.
‘She’s an Australian singer who just lost a contract with her management company because she refused to change the lyrics. It’s amazing!’
Despite lacking an expensive marketing push, the song has become a viral sensation, and its popularity caught 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, called her song an “anthem of hope” for those who feel “invisible, left out, confused and heartbroken.”
May, who got her first break into acting after a chance encounter with rapper Shaggy while studying medicine in New York, has posted photos from her previous medical career on Instagram.
“I can’t believe it,” he wrote.
‘So many beautiful and sincere comments that I am really shocked.
‘I can’t always respond to everyone, but know that I see you and I see your support and I am very happy to be with you, singing about real issues.
‘If this song resonates with so many people, it shows that many of us are tired of the absolute chaos we have been dragged through in recent years. “We deserve to be heard.”
May continues to campaign on social media to take Karmageddon to number one on Australian iTunes.
“Against all odds, this song is on the charts all over the world, thanks to you for sharing and supporting it,” he tweeted.
‘The world may be a bloody mess right now, but in unity we have strength. We truly heal.’
May, who got her first break into acting after a chance encounter with rapper Shaggy while studying medicine in New York, has posted photos of herself in full medical gown and protective gear from her previous medical career on Instagram.
“So I’m back working as a full-time ER doctor while we get through Covid, which means I have less time to work on my music and share things with you, so that makes me sad, but I’m grateful I did it.” I can offer something more in another way,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
May was born in the far north Queensland city of Cairns and has lived mainly in Brisbane, but now resides in Sydney, according to her website.