I came to live in Khirki Extension because there is a large community of Kinnars (transgenders) living here,” says 25-year-old Kinari, Delhi’s first trans rapper of Tamil origin ahead of her debut album Kattar Kinnar, a radical sonic expression of her life in the city as a trans woman. “Delhi assimilates everyone. Africans, Afghans, Hindus, Muslims, Kinnars, all live in harmony in my colony. Moreover, Khirki is a lively place to be in. I enjoy the music of wedding bands played during festivities and the music played during Holi,” says the emerging rapper.
Kinari’s album is a mixtape of North and South Indian music styles. It merges the beats of drums she has heard in Delhi with the pulse of gaana songs strong on beats and rhythms, a genre of music common in Chennai, and part of all subaltern identities. “Gaana is essentially performed by the Dalit community. It is a way to express angst and be activistic. It has become part of pop music over the years and is performed at weddings, stage shows, political rallies and funerals. Its upbeat music makes one jump up and dance!” she says, adding that she has been influenced by artistes such as Cakes Da Killa, Ilaiyaraaja, Gana Deva, and MC Altaf.
The songs of Kattar Kinnar express the burning desire of a trans woman who wants to claim her space in a world of gender binaries. ‘Kadva Sach Meethi Bitch’, talks about how getting a regular salary is a dream for a trans woman, who, at times, has just `2,000 in her bank account at the start of a month. ‘Kattar Kinnar’, ridicules the privilege of rappers who have big music studios and still talk of struggles. ‘Baahar’ is her declaration of self-love and not paying heed to her haters while the mood-lifting ‘Rock Bottom Parichit’ is about turning the low points of life into avenues of self-growth.
When music saved her life
So where did it all begin? Kinari grew up in Chennai before moving to the US for further studies. It was there at the age of 21 that she came out as a trans woman to her family who were in India. “They could not accept it. I cut off all ties with them. My education stopped midway and I was left to survive on my own. Eventually, I came to Delhi in 2021 in search of work,” she says. And it posed a fair share of challenges due to her gender. “Brokers used to tell me that nobody would accept me in their neighbourhood as they thought that the trans community engages in felonious activities. Before moving to Khirki, I had to move home five times, having to leave each place either because I could not pay the rent once having taken the accommodation or due to issues posed by neighbours or flatmates. Sometimes fights with flatmates broke out as they would not let me use the kitchen,” she says. Financial troubles pushed her into sex work — this was the darkest period of her life. “I did not have a guru or a mentor to tell me which people are good or bad as clients. I was discriminated against by the trans community as well. They judge you on the basis of your caste and other social barriers.”
Luckily, Kinari secured a job as a teacher in a Delhi school. She had to teach in the morning, come back home to cook for herself and make music, and take up sex work by night to pay rent. It was then that she met Mithran, a trans man from Tamil Nadu, who became her biggest cheerleader and encouraged her to embark on a music career. “He has been my best friend since then, and has also become my manager. With his help and my conviction, I kept writing, producing, and developing songs. In fact, I wouldn’t have survived the tough times without music.”
Art as identity
Kinari started recording her music with an Android phone and a small laptop. She soon bagged live gigs in Delhi. Her performances usually begin with banter with the audience where she playfully interacts with them, before reverberating the room with renditions of love, retribution and survival sung in a whip-smart way that it becomes a sharp critique of society. The impact of her music is such that even those who are not in her shoes tend to relate to it. One such performance was in 2023 when she performed at the arts organisation, Khoj Studios. “It usually displays artworks from notable abstract artists. When I took the stage there, not just the art community, but even the support staff swarmed into the room and enjoyed every bit of it. Post the show, they told me that it’s for the first time that they have felt connected with an artist,” the rapper says.
Kinari’s next stops are Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai. “A lot of people in our community victimise themselves. They say they can’t pursue their dreams because they are transgender. That’s an excuse. I do not want to be bogged down by the challenges. I want to be known by my art, not my gender,” she says.
‘Kattar Kinnar’ drops on all audio platforms on April 7