A millennial with a voice that matters, Anna Katharina Valayil aka Tribemama Marykali’s onstage persona thrives on bringing her art and activism together. Young and defiant,sassy yet serious, she uses wordplay and wit to empower women. “Wash your feet in the rain and pray/Before you move towards my temple/ Bless ya heels/ You stand on sacred ground...I am a Star of Venus/ I am Goddess witch/ Badass bitch...Tribe mama from the core/Am diggin’ in the core now!” she delivers in the opening of her latest song Bless ya Heels, unleashing a torrent of catchiness we often don’t associate with meaningful music.
A feisty, spunky and bold number oozing with femininity, the song talks about how women are labelled and often put in a box. Society expects women to be submissive. With this song, Anna is asking them, first to be a woman and then be mother, sister, or daughter. “I’ve always noticed women, who are so feminine, being shunned and are told to be modest and being told to stay at home. It’s easier to be someone’s daughter. It is easier to be someone’s wife or sister. But it’s hard to be a woman. If I was fat I was told to cover up. If I was too thin, I was looked down upon. In that video, I really came out as myself because whatever they were shunning, it was something that they were afraid of. I guess I was no longer afraid of myself”.
Growing up, Anna was an absolute misfit in school. Academically never keen, her teachers brought her on only for extracurricular gigs, maybe because she was always an artist at heart. Like most musicians, Anna grew up on a staple diet of arts owing to both her maternal and paternal family. Her forefathers were the first people to get circuses to India. Of all the stunts, colours and performances, one thing that stuck by Anna was the loud, blaring and alarming live band music at the circus. “We can call that as my firstexperience as a musician.”
Anna also spent few of her former years in Nigeria where she tried her hands at different musical instruments before finding what she really loved the most, singing. “I had an African piano master while growing up in Nigeria but I wasn’t too comfortable with the keys so later I tried my hands at the guitar in sixth grade with one of the best guitarists in Kerala. He used to come for classes to teach me but by the end of it, we would just be jamming. That’s how I refined my pitch and my expression. The same teacher years later introduced me to the music director and got me my first ever gig. After doing songs in multiple languages, I became a vocalist at the studio.”
Another interesting facet of Anna’s is her rather long moniker which she feels has been derived from the duality of her personality. “My life changed after I became a mother and had two daughters. It all helped me evolve into a better human being. Mary and Kali are two great mothers of our history. Mary shocks the ego while Kali strikes the ego. Mary was the one who willingly sacrificed. And me being a Christian, I’ve always found her soft, who nurtures, who forgives. Every time hoping to see the good in humanity. That’s Mary. And Kali gives me the strength I need. My life really changed after having two daughters. I started appreciating my body. My postpartum wasn’t easy but once it was over, I saw how fearful I was. Nobody ever speaks of the strength of a woman but I’ve discovered it.”
While her last work was a bit experiential and a bit autobiographical lyrically, Anna’s new music is an electronic piece with hints of folk. “When was the last time you heard a woman think about loving a man, making love to a man? The EP is about that, it is about being different. And it is about another kind of love song. There is another song inwhich I’ve written, how, we can be more self-aware and self-actualise our best version. It’s got some R & B, some electronica. It’s a blend. Like a beautiful wine. I talk so seriously but when you listen to my music, it’ll calm you down, I promise.
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Words Hansika Lohani
Date 18-04-2023