| "Karmageddon" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Iyah May | |
| Released | 13 November 2024 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:26 |
| Label | Self-released |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Danny Duke |
| Music video | |
| "Karmageddon" on YouTube | |
"Karmageddon" is a single recorded by Australian singer-songwriter Iyah May. The song gained notoriety after the artist's management company refused to release it pending changes demanded of its controversial lyrics, subsequently going viral on social media.
The artist—who is also an emergency room doctor—conceived of the song upon reflection of her experiences in the medical profession. [1] It was first uploaded to YouTube on 13 November 2024 [2] and released to streaming services the same day. [3] In the song, she addresses a host of contentious public issues that are cause for frustration and despair for her. Describing it as "a striking anthem for these turbulent times", the artist left no doubt about which subject matter was involved, touching upon perceived toxicity and corruption in left–right politics, COVID-19 disinformation, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, violence against women, identity politics, gun rights, the abortion debate, cancel culture —and the general public's indifference to all of the above. The artist takes aim at a number of celebrities including (Elon) Musk, [4] Taylor (Swift), Kim (Kardashian), Kanye (West), Drake, Kendrick (Lamar) and (Anthony) Fauci. The World Health Organization, the pharmaceutical industry, the state of Israel [5] and Balenciaga are portrayed in an unflattering light. May, who had previously released four singles through her manager, [6] was forced to forgo using a record label for "Karmageddon", instead self-releasing it after she refused to agree to censor one line in the song. [5] [7] May released a music video for the song in which she is seen wearing cheerleader attire. [6] She has said that the song received "an overwhelming amount of support from people all over the world" despite her management company having disassociated itself from its release. [7] As of January 2025 [update] , the song had garnered 150,000 listeners on Spotify and had reached the Top20 on iTunes. [6]
As a result of the song going viral on social media [8] after political activist Ryan Fournier shared the single on Twitter, [7] Newsweek branded May "the new darling of the political right". [6]
| Chart (2024–2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Sales (OCC) [9] | 44 |