Initially, this would be expressed in patronising tones, she reveals. “Every field has some bad apples. They would say words like, ‘You are young; and you will get better with time,’ or that  ‘Playing strength is different on a bass for girls than boys.’ That did not sit well with me.” The musician took it up as a personal challenge to push herself further. The issue, Dey shares, lies in the absence of role models. “Look at it this way,” she expands, “most bands on television were male-dominated. There was never a band with a female on the bass or the lead guitar. It never clicked as a possibility for girls in the country. Being in a band was always a guy thing.”

But times have changed, she reminds us. Dey has herself evolved from a musician to becoming an event organiser, composing for clients, and a band manager, while collaborating and working on her own project, MaMoGi (with husband Mark Hartsuch, and Gino Banks). This expansive role is also a responsibility, she admits. “The music community is talented and hardworking. There are a lot of people who lend a hand. But male or female, you have to invest your time and work genuinely hard.” In the end, it comes down to persistence and talent, Dey concludes. 

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