1. |
Bijuriya Chamke, Pt. 1
02:54
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I have Indian ancestry
Can’t you tell from my bindi?
My daddy is a Trini!
I’m also white and Frenchy
Bonsoir Québécoise mommy!
Yeah, that’s my family history
I’m on a quest for learning
The different parts of me
A layered onion bhaji
My indianness has benchmarks
In shapes of question marks
And that’s when lightning sparks!
I’m gonna do drag!
To shock, ignite
Empower and delight
I’m Bijuriya! (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
Make art, connect,
Engage and reflect
I’m Bijuriya! (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
Before the wigs and lipstick
I’d always been artistic
With flair for sound and music
To cultivate this passion
I sought an education
Which led to composition
Yeeaah I’m a trained composer
Jot music notes on paper
As if my ears don’t matter
From chamber to symphonic
It felt so academic
It felt so Eurocentric
So how about drag?
To shock, ignite
Empower and delight
I’m Bijuriya (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
Make art, connect,
Engage and reflect
I’m Bijuriya (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
Bijuriya, Bijuriya, Bijuriya Chamke!
That means: Lightning strikes!
Queers of my descent I wanna represent
But I feel so insufficient...
Half-white half-brown, I’m a musical clown
No desire for a crown
Storm’s a-brewing
I’m a thunderbolt
Reminder: Drag is a revolt!
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2. |
How Many Ks
03:56
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(Kishore Kumar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Kailash Kher, KK)
OK, ok, ok ok, KK ‘Kay
‘K’ is a common letter catapulting star power
Bollywood’s obsessed with that mystical letter
Maybe it’s the power of Indian numerology
Add up ‘em letters to control your destiny
(yeah) Karan swapped a C for a K in Koffee
It’s all about astrology, not KKK supremacy
But lucky number lucky letter ain’t the trick
If you want success just go nepotistic
How many Ks, How many Ks
How many Ks can you take
There’s power in that letter
(Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan)
Two Kapoor sisters with double-K initials
But Bebo needed more, she just can not accept rivals
Found herself a nawab and dumped the cute one with the dimples
Leveled up her K game from doubles to triples
Triple K initials: none of the 3 Khans could
Although they self proclaim as King Khan of Bollywood
Strutting their stuff like there never was a Genghis
Macho Chocolate Heroes Conquering the Box Office
How many Ks, How many Ks
How many Ks can you take
There’s power in that letter
(Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin, Kirron Kher, Kajol)
Katrina’s repping for the firangis
While Kalki’s a frenchy, but also born-desi (Bonjour!)
Kirron is all versions of your mommy, your aunty,
Loving but conservative, supportive of the BJP
Kajol: mononymous powerhouse (iconic!)
Beautiful monobrow, barely any lipstick
Kangana’s short a K, but if she had more, YIKES
She’d spew more nonsense and get more likes.
How many Ks, How many Ks
How many Ks can you take
There’s power in that letter
(Kalpana Kartik, Kamaal Khan, Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, Kunal Khemu, Kunal Karan Kapoor, Krishna Kumar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Kunal Kohli, Kabir Khan, Kader Khan, Kalyan Krishna, Kama La Mackerel, Kareem Khubchandni, KarmaSutra, Kamani Sutra, I love you k k k k k k k k k Kiran)
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3. |
Curry's a Mix
03:36
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(Intro - not on album version)
Let me tell you about curry
It is not a singular entity
Let’s clear up misconception
Curry’s a complex concoction
Brown people are also a mixture
With subtleties in flavour
Beware of claims to authenticity
Being Desi is NOT about purity
Curry’s a mix
It’s always been a mix
A dash of this, a dash of that
Coming together, Coming together, mmm
Curry’s a dish
Spicy and delectable
Soak it up, Scoop it up, Soak it up, Scoop it up
Curry’s a mix
It’s always been a mix
A dash of this, a dash of that
Coming together, Coming together, mmm
Curry’s a dish
Spicy and delectable
Right hand finger-licking
So you wanna learn to play sitar?
But they only teach guitar?
Your whole life was whitewashed?
Turn your brownness up a notch
Cuz curry’s a mix
It’s always been a mix
We still add taste
Even though we been displaced
We gotta fake it til we make it
But we make when we break
The myth, the fiction
Of just one nation
Don’t essentialize me kuti
Try and label my identity
Try and pinpoint my ancestry
Try and guess my family history
Ouin chu queb, brune, franco
Un bijou, un joyau
Ch’tune queen d’la diversité (HEY!)
Pitchez-vous su moué!
Is there a blemish on your brownness?
A cage around your queerness?
They say you’re not authentic?
Well we ain’t monolithic.
Curry’s a mix
It’s always been a mix
But people will conflate
And segregate
But the powders come together
From the cumin to the pepper,
To the chili to the turmeric,
To the fenugreek to the garlic
To the salt and coriander
Curry’s a mix
It’s always been a mix
A dash of this, a dash of that
Coming together, Coming together, mmm
Curry’s a dish
Spicy and delectable
Soak it up, Scoop it up, Soak it up, Scoop it up
Curry’s a mix
It’s always been a mix
A dash of this, a dash of that
Coming together, Coming together, mmm
Curry’s a dish
Spicy and delectable
Right hand finger-licking
Chorus
Don’t essentialize me kuti
Try and label my identity
Try and pinpoint my ancestry
Try and guess my family history
Ouin chu queb, brune, franco
Un bijou, un joyau
Ch’tune queen d’la diversité
Pitchez-vous su moué!
Pa ni da Pa, NI ni da Pa, — ni Ma GA ri– Ma GA Sa
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4. |
Bijuriya Chamke, Pt. 2
02:59
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Bewildered by my culture
I felt like an imposter
Is Bollywood the answer?
I watched a million movies
I built an expertise
In repertoire and cheese
I recognized my genes
in the faces on the screens
I thought I’d found my queens
But they use fairness creams
Live the capitalistic dream
And… I kinda hate mainstream
I’d rather do drag
To shock, ignite
Empower and delight
I’m Bijuriya! (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
Make art, connect,
Engage and reflect
I’m Bijuriya! (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
I went on an adventure
Compelled by my ancestors
From India to Indenture
It took me on a journey
Where self-discovery
Met with music artistry
I learned to play Carnatic
Connected to that music
Melodic and majestic
I sang Ni Sa Ri Pa Ga Ri
In Kalyani and Thodi
Quite superficially...
You wanna do drag?
To shock, ignite
Empower and delight
I’m Bijuriya! (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
Make art, connect,
Engage and reflect
I’m Bijuriya! (Bijuriya Chamke, Bijuriya, Bijuriya)
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5. |
Geeta
04:50
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Bijuriya Montreal, Québec
Bijuriya is a drag queen inspired by her South Asian culture. She's appreciated for her proud, festive, wacky and critical outlook on Bollywood and other elements of Desi culture. On-stage and in her music, Bjiuriya is a dazzling thunderbolt of energy and quirkiness. She's half-brown, half-Québécoise, and she explores her cultural roots by teetering between tribute, parody and critical thinking. ... more
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