As we continually morph onward through time, seeing shifts for both better and worse, it should be awe-inspiring to realize the sheer magnitude of change some of our heroes have had to endure and rise above to remain relevant. As a gifted female non-conformist musician, dealing with an inherent sexism in the system (see Lush), it must have been daunting. But moving from a time of popularity-perpetuated art and luxury to a today of requisite fighting for an often inequitable semblance of life-sustaining income (let alone for creation of new art) has to have been overwhelming. And yet she has striven to overcome.
“Me being frustrated only hurts me in the end. But we still need to come up with ways to be able to make a living. It’s a challenge, and it is a true democracy.
It’s exciting and scary at the same time.”
Sometimes referred to as the female Nine Inch Nails, the one-woman industrial band (with gothic tendencies) that is Shikhee D’iordna, better known as Android Lust, was born in Bangladesh, schooled in England and the USA, eventually deciding on NYC as her current resting place. Quite a feat considering her avid love of cities, especially Berlin, Germany.

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“A lot of my musical influences had their origins in Berlin so I wanted to travel there for inspiration. It’s a city that doesn’t let you forget its history and you can feel its weight wherever you go.”
Mother-album of “Stained”, The Dividing is an edgy emotion-laden veritable Molotov cocktail of loneliness, lust, impatience, and fury. The album would serve to both divide and diversify D’iordna’s own fanbase with its addition of live acoustic instruments, of which she would solely perform on them all. The song “Stained” seems to speak of yet another dividing brought on by an anger born of a unilateral breach of trust. An unreasonable stain, callously applied, permanent, and deeply unfair.
“I used to feel that I needed to prove myself constantly. I think writing The Dividing freed me from some of it because it was a departure from my original sound, and a lot of people hated it. I learned that I didn’t have to please everyone, not that I ever could, but I felt that weight lift.”
The video is a tour-de-force of brilliant planning and execution primarily by director Daniel Ouellette. In all, it took 30 people over the course of two days to complete, and even though some donated their time and effort, the final outlay was still a lofty $25,000. The resultant infinite house-of-mirrors illusion is stunning, especially as it is in actuality a relatively small box with D’iordna inside, “Hot as fuck“, still undaunted, and steadfastly yearning for more.
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LABEL: PROJEKT
Destroy the illusion and watch the series Making of “Stained”
Many thanks to D’iordna for taking the time to speak with me for this piece
Cover Art “cybercrucible” © 2023 – disturbedByVoices – All Rights Reserved
Yet another artist I had no idea existed. That $25,000 video is creepy as hell…but, it pairs well with the lyrics., which I can well sympathize with. You wrote a great introduction to this artist, Rann, showing what makes her tick. 🖤
She’s an amazing woman in her abilities and fortitude. Since some of the stressors finally began to have an impact on her, she has taken to yoga, meditation, and qigong to better maintain her life balance. She’s a wonderful person and deadly talented. Thank you for reaching out and opining my friend, ladybird. 🖤
I had to look up qigong…lord, I live in a cave. lol
I admire people who have the discipline needed to take care of themselves; it’s a lot of work. I tried yoga about 15 years ago on my doctor’s advice to deal with stress. Barely got started and herniated a disk. 🙄 🖤
Yikes! I’m planning on starting yoga myself, lol. 🖤
Be careful, especially if you have a bad back like I do. 🖤