ALL THE RIGHT NOTES

AARIFAH REBELLO

(Drummer, singer, songwriter, and guitarist)

“While many women are excelling in the music industry, in various capacities, the truth is that we live in a patriarchal country and music is still not considered a profession. There’s a lot of talent, but it gets swept under the rug. I belong to a musically-inclined family, but even my mum insisted that I get a formal degree first, so I took up journalism in college before turning pro. I’ve had people ask me, ‘You want to be a musician? But how’s that going you play well’. I’ve been playing for 10 years now, and I still get the same reaction—they wait to see me perform before they are convinced that I actually play the drums, and am good, too!”