The release of Tommy Genesis‘s new single ‘True Blue’ on 20 June, followed subsequently by its music video, ignited a firestorm of controversy on social media, primarily from Hindu and Christian communities worldwide.
This Canadian artist (Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj), of Malayali, Tamil, and Swedish heritage, found herself at the centre of a heated global debate, accused of cultural appropriation and blasphemy. Both ‘True Blue’ and her latter single ‘Loops’ released on 4 July, are from her upcoming album, Genesis, set to drop on 25 July. The full album—which the artist has said is her most personal work to date—may yet offer further insights into her story and the explicit imagery she employs.
The initial reaction to ‘True Blue’ was stark. Tommy Genesis’s portrayal, adorned in blue body paint, gold jewellery, and a bindi, striking poses, all reminiscent of the Hindu Goddess Kali, drew immediate criticism. Prominent Indian rapper Raftaar condemned it as “a mockery of (his) religion“. For devotees, the Goddess Kali is a revered deity and a powerful symbol of female empowerment. Her iconography used in a sexually charged context felt like a direct assault on those deeply held beliefs. The video’s treatment of the Christian crucifix, provocatively held and licked, further amplified accusations of blasphemy. The reported use of the phrase “Freak of India” in the track’s promotional material fuelled further concerns of deliberate provocation. The major consensus among these critics is that artistic freedom should not supersede respect for cultural and religious sentiments.
However, the release of ‘Loops’ unveiled the true core of Tommy Genesis’s intent with ‘True Blue’, offering a more empathetic and accurate interpretation from her loyal fans. In this track, Genesis explicitly lays bare her family’s painful history:
“The caste system divided my family / Like liquid pain, ancestral shame / Kicked out of the temple / Land we own but exiled from Hindu to Christian (kicked out of the temple) / From chosen to orphan and so I descend (kicked out of the temple)”
These raw lyrics speak of generational trauma, displacement, and religious conversion born not of spiritual choice, but of social exclusion. It’s crucial to understand that the caste system in India is a centuries-old, rigid social hierarchy, primarily associated with Hinduism, that assigns individuals a fixed status at birth. Historically, it dictated one’s occupation, social interactions, and even access to public spaces or religious sites, often leading to severe discrimination against those deemed “lower castes”. This reality impacts many families that remain within India’s so called “lower castes”. For them, caste discrimination has often led to an alienation from their original faith and culture, fostering a profound sense of not knowing where they truly belong.
This understanding transforms the ‘True Blue’ imagery. The Goddess Kali depiction isn’t mockery; it’s a visceral, confrontational reclamation of a heritage from which her ancestors were alienated due to caste discrimination. It becomes an “outburst of identity,” a defiant re-engagement with symbols once central to her lineage before they were “kicked out.” The provocative use of the crucifix, in this light, could be seen as a commentary on the complexities of a converted identity or a rebellion against imposed dogmas. Her art becomes a medium for processing inherited pain, a defiant scream against historical injustices.
Tommy Genesis while talking about this deeply personal turn in her music career, stated in a V Magazine interview that ‘True Blue’ tells “a deeper story about the missionaries that came to South India converting my family from Hinduism to Christianity, the bisexual little girl who was too queer for church, the visual artist who is prepared to jump off a cliff for the sake of art”. She added, “Who am I but who I am, not looking for anyone to understand—just shifting through myself—the real me, Genesis.” This statement signals a profound artistic journey, and not a casual attempt at shock. It also promotes a broader understanding of artistic liberty for artists from diasporic or marginalized communities, that exploring cultural and religious symbols, even controversially, can be vital for reclaiming narrative and articulating a complex sense of self.
This condemnation by religious communities isn’t unique to Tommy Genesis. Many British artists have frequently navigated similar controversies. Sam Smith‘s Grammy performance of ‘Unholy’ in 2023, for example, featuring demonic imagery, drew widespread criticism from some Christian groups who labeled it “satanic”. While intended as theatrical exploration, it was perceived as a direct affront to faith. Similarly, Charli XCX, a prominent UK pop artist, used religious metaphors in her ‘Used To Know Me’ video, appearing in black lingerie and a nun’s habit. This recontextualization challenged traditional notions of piety and female sexuality within a religious framework, inviting similar debates about the sacred and the profane in pop culture.
However, there’s a complex truth here: while artists with massive platforms like Smith and XCX make headlines, they often weather the storm with their careers largely intact. Tommy Genesis, with a comparatively smaller platform, seems to attract a disproportionate amount of scrutiny for her imagery. This begs a key question: are certain artists, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds or with less commercial light, held to a stricter, less forgiving standard when it comes to cultural and religious boundaries? This very dynamic further underscores the deeply personal, and therefore more vulnerable, nature of her artistic rebellion.
For Tommy Genesis, her ‘True Blue’ and ‘Loops’ are not just songs; they are a turbulent, necessary conversation about identity and inherited pain. While this initial shock and anger is understandable, a deeper dive into her work reveals a raw, unflinching attempt to process a complex identity forged in the crucible of ancestral trauma. In a world grappling with identity and expression, Tommy Genesis’s “unruly art” might just be the uncomfortable conversation we need to have.
Words by C. Sharmishtha
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