Jacintha Morris, a 52-year-old civil servant from the Indian state of Kerala became an overnight sensation on social media when she uploaded a labour of love on YouTube; a home-production music video that stars the multi-faceted singer as “Suzainn the Sinner” and her family as various assorted characters in a song about sexism and how society vilifies women who refuse to conform.
Morris as Suzann in her now deleted viral video.
CyberNotes
A South Indian woman has made headlines for her music but not in the way she wanted.
News Desk
Jacintha Morris, a 52-year-old civil servant from the Indian state of Kerala became an overnight sensation on social media when she uploaded a labour of love on YouTube; a home-production music video that stars the multi-faceted singer as “Suzainn the Sinner” and her family as various assorted characters in a song about sexism and how society vilifies women who refuse to conform. The song, though a hit, did not have the effect Morris intended. The trolls came out to play and had a field day with the song that one must admit is of dubious quality to say euphemistically.
Morris understandably was upset to become an unsuspecting object of ridicule and when the comments became unbearable, calling not her but also her family, who pitched in for the production, she deleted the song from her account. Fortunately or not, the song still survives, having been shared by other individuals from their own accounts so the cause of the crooner’s misery is still available for all to view online.
Taher Shah's second musical venture was as popular as the first, though definitely more bizarre.
The song itself tackles the rigid parameters that society has set for women and how it brands any female bold enough to defy those norms. Interestingly, the judgment in protagonist Suzainn’s case comes from women while men are shown to admire her audacity. The song is based on a lifetime of conversations with different women in Morris’s life who shared their experiences of ostracisation for daring to live on their own terms. Morris, who is also a prolific writer and poet and has bagged several prizes locally for her endeavors, was shocked when she found out that people were criticizing her vocal prowess and the production quality of the song, overlooking its message. In an ironic twist of fate, it appears that Morris seems to have sampled a taste of the very attitude she was attempting to call out.
What perhaps offended Morris the most it appears, is her comparison to Pakistani viral artist Taher Shah. Her song is dubbed as India’s answer to Shah’s recent release, Angel and both songs are being clubbed under what is fast being recognized as cringe pop genre. Though entertaining, the songs have little credibility beyond their shock value and the naivety and earnestness of their creators makes the entire debacle more complicated. Should they be applauded for their courage and self-expression or be critiqued on the quality of their endeavor, albeit constructively? Morris doesn’t want to acknowledge any comparison with Shah and finds it insulting and more importantly has a message for her haters: leave the talented ones alone!
