Kim O'Leary - The Most Famous Singer You've Never Heard (Of)
Kim O'Leary was the ultimate singer with a cult following who was actually in a cult. She used to perform to thousands of devotees of Guru Maharaj Ji (aka Prem Rawat) described by his followers as the Lord of the Universe. They sang along in ecstacy or trying for it, knowing each word and meditating over every note … in theory at least. She had a promising career but threw it away to sing the praises (literally) of a fat *, 14 year old Indian fake-guru, probably the most ridiculous and unlikely guru ever known to man, or woman. Her songs were the soundtrack to Divine Light Mission's worship of the guru, she was Maharaji's Minstrel. In 2024 she threatened to sue the Webmaster of this site for defamation. It is not illegal to try to hide the 30 most important years of your life but it is not defamation to reveal the details, publicly. Her role in Rawat's success was not insignificant and without it being written about no understanding of Rawat's career is really possible. One of the main reasons (IMHO) that Rawat kept a core of devoted followers were her songs and the songs of few other talented "premies" such as Lindsay Field and Geoff Bridgford being probably the most important ones.
She then spent decades using her talent, writing and singing songs of desperate devotion and yearning for an "experience" that never quite eventuated and being paid peanuts for her "Service" until it was too late to resurrect the career she never had and she was replaced by His daughter, a younger, less talented singer. Daya Rawat now sang O'Leary's songs of adoration to Prem Rawat, the most famous (or infamous) person you've never heard of.
In the 1970s she sang to crowds of 20,000 and now, in 2023, she is followed on Spotify by 50 fans who are probably worshippers of Rawat's and this catastrophic "A Star Was Never Born" storyline was lived without her having any rockstar fun - no drug abuse, no sex scandals, no personal jets, no massive mansions or fabulous financial rewards those were for Prem Rawat Himself - just hours of thinking about her breathing, poking her fingers in her eyes and her thumbs in her ears and sucking on her tongue under blankets in dreary rooms on uncomfortable pillows living in shared accomodation. She was bound to run out of inspiration eventually.
What was the result of those decades worshipping Prem Rawat: Years of Anxiety and Therapy
O'Leary has written a Self Help book drawn on her own life of decades of crippling anxiety and years of therapy after she was dropped from performing at Rawat's speeches to the ageing remnant of 1970s counter-culture youth who flocked to His feet to bring Peace to the World. Prem Rawat's teachings promote a Catch 22 situation, he assures his devoteees that they could and should experience an enlightenment realization by meditating on His Knowledge and worshipping Him and if they don't it's all their own fault.
Pre-publication testimonials to her book by friends and associates stress the positive include "This book is a practical how-to guide for managing anxiety, drawn from a rich life of trial and error," "Kim gives autobiographical snippets to validate the often isolating feelings of anxiety that many people experience." Kim's anxiety and depression were well documented in her song lyrics for those who chose to look closely.
* This reference to his appearance is not meant to offend but to bring attention to the guru's poor life choices and unhealthy lifestyle possibly caused by anxiety and depression due to the stresses of his role.