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'Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam' (born on July 17, 1977)[1] is a vocalist, songwriter, composer, record producer and visual artist of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. She is best known by her stage name, 'M.I.A.'. Her music style contains elements of grime, hip-hop, ragga, dancehall, electro, and baile funk. In 2005, her first album, ''Arular'', was nominated for the Mercury Prize. In 2007, her second album, ''Kala'', was voted ''Mixmag''
Biography
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, the daughter of a Tamil activist-turned militant, Arul Pragasam,[2] was born in Hounslow, London. When she was six months old, her family moved back to their native Sri Lanka. Motivated by his wish to support the LTTE, her father became politically known as Arular and was a founding member of The Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), a militant Tamil group.[3]7 Her alias, ''M.I.A.'', stands for both ''Missing in Acton'' and ''Missing in Action''.
While residing in Sri Lanka, Maya lived with her grandparents. After a year, as her father's involvement in militant activities increased, Maya, her older sister Kali, and their mother moved to Jaffna in the far north of the island, where Maya's younger brother Sugu was born. Contact with her father was strictly limited, as she says he was in hiding from the Sri Lankan Army.[4][5]
Eventually, as the civil war escalated, it became unsafe for the family to stay in Sri Lanka,4 so they were forced to relocate to Madras, India.[6] They moved into an almost derelict house, surviving there for a while with sporadic visits from Maya's father. However, financial struggles, illness as well as limitations of food and water meant moving back to Sri Lanka, with the help of an uncle, where they settled in Jaffna again.
By now, the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka was at its peak,4 and the family once again tried to flee the country.6 After several failed attempts to leave, Maya’s mother successfully made it out with the three children, arriving first in India before finally returning to Maya's birthplace in London, where they were housed as refugees.4
It was in the late '80s, on a council estate in Mitcham (South London), that an eleven-year-old Arulpragasam began to learn the English language.[7] Here she was exposed to Western radio for the first time, hearing broadcasts emanating from her neighbours' flats.7 Her affinity for hip-hop and rap began from there. Acts including Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shante and N.W.A. would become just some of her influences.1
Arulpragasam attended London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, where she studied fine art, film and video.[8]
Art and film
Maya's ''Pocko'' Editions Art book cover.
Maya's first-ever public exhibition of paintings in 2001 at the Euphoria Shop in Portobello, London, featured candy coloured spray-paint and stencil pictures of the Tamil rebellion movement. Graffitied tigers and palm trees mixed with orange, green and pink camouflage, bombs, guns and fighters on chip board off-cuts and canvases. The show was nominated for the Alternative Turner Prize,8 (Jude Law is a patron of her art)[9] and a monograph book of the collection was published by Pocko (which was simply entitled ''M.I.A.'').[10]
The Publication's back cover reads:
:''From a long-forgotten region of endemic conflict comes a project to challenge your ethical core. The art of warfare is sprawled across these pages transforming bloodshed into beauty and raising the phoenix of forbidden expression - The real war is in us.''
Music career
A commission from Elastica's Justine Frischmann to provide the artwork and cover image for the band's second album, ''The Menace'', led to Arulpragasam following the band on tour around forty American states, video-documenting the event, and eventually directing the music video for Elastica's single, "Mad Dog". The support act on the tour, electro-clash artist Peaches, introduced Arulpragasam to the Roland MC-505 sequencing machine and encouraged her to experiment in the artform she felt least confident in: music.[11] Back home in London, Arulpragasam and Frischmann got hold of a 505 and, working with the simplest of set-ups (a second-hand 4-track, the 505 and a radio microphone),[12] Arulpragasam worked-up a series of six songs onto a demo tape which aroused interest. This tape included the first track she had ever composed, "M.I.A.", the second track she had ever composed, "Galang", and "Lady Killer". The tape reached Steve Mackey and Ross Orton who then re-worked the track "Galang". ()
A mix of dancehall, electro, grime and world music, Showbiz Records pressed 500 copies of the independent vinyl single "Galang" in 2003, and the single became popular and made an immediate impact with DJs.6 In 2004, file-sharing of her buzz single, “Galang,” followed by the high speed of internet word-of-mouth made her a household name to international hipsters before she had graced a stage.[13] Major record labels caught onto the popularity of "Galang" and M.I.A. eventually signed to XL Recordings home to Dizzee Rascal, Basement Jaxx and the White Stripes, as they were the only label to offer her complete creative control.14 She also chose them because it was the closest to her house, telling the label, "Trust me, you've been looking for me",[14] before dropping off the "Galang" tape. They called her back soon after.
Maya Arulpragasam in the video for her song "Sunshowers"
"Galang" was re-released. The accompanying music video for "Galang", featuring multiple M.I.A.’s amid a backdrop of her graffiti artwork animated and brought to life, was directed by Ruben Fleischer and art directed by M.I.A. herself. Scenes of urban Britain and the war in Sri Lanka are depicted and delivered with a wry sense of humour.
For her next single release, "Sunshowers," Arulpragasam again collaborated with Ross Orton and Steve Mackey. Together they reworked a chorus from Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band’s track of the same name, this time about guerrilla warfare and the Sri Lankan war. A video was made for the track, which she filmed in the jungles of South India with director Rajesh Touchriver.8
''Piracy'' mixtape 1
''Piracy Funds Terrorism'' (2004)
Arulpragasam met Diplo at the Fabric Club in London, who was coincidentally playing "Galang" as she entered the club,14 and travelled to Philadelphia soon after to work on the production of her first composition and the last track (hidden) on her album, "M.I.A.", with him. They both began remixing, sampling and mashing up the a capellas of the tracks on ''Arular'', with prominent rappers and musicians, eventually using the material created during the sessions to build the mixtape ''Piracy Funds Terrorism''.
In 2004, New York's ''Fader Magazine'' made her their cover star with the head line "This is M.I.A. - Music's Now Thing". She flew out to New York to headline a live show to coincide with the launch of the issue, and stayed to see designer Matthew Williamson open and close his fashion week runway show with the song ''Sunshowers''.[15]
''Piracy Funds Terrorism'' was initially only given to the press and handed out at early live shows, but because of the album's underground success,[16][17] Turntablelab.com began releasing the mixtape exclusively through their website around December 2004. The mixtape added to the anticipation of Arulpragasam's debut album.6 It was popular among M.I.A.'s growing fanbase within the music blogosphere and elsewhere.16
Diplo also produced the third track on ''Arular'', "Bucky Done Gun", which mixes the popular baile funk sound from Rio de Janeiro with a sample from "Gonna Fly Now" (the theme from ''Rocky'').
''Arular'' (2005)
M.I.A. performing at Sónar in June 2005.
Prior to the release of her debut LP, Arulpragasam made her North American debut at the Drake Hotel in Toronto in February, 2005. According to organiser Jacob Smid the “Response was phenomenal”.[18] She followed this with a sold out performance at New York City’s Knitting Factory club the next day. “She brings out such a diverse crowd…At the time, it seemed like she was still under the radar; the record wasn't out but people were singing along to every song", Smid recalled to ''Pollstar Magazine.'' "It was really cool to see.”18
Arulpragasam’s debut album ''Arular'' was finally released worldwide in March 2005 and was critically acclaimed.[19][20] Titled in acknowledgment of her father's past, and with topics ranging from identity and poverty to revolution and war, the album was praised for its originality. Co-produced and written mostly by M.I.A., ''Arular'' featured a fusion of genres, experimentation with different sounds, her hand-sprayed artwork on the record sleeves and lyrics that mixed Tamil, Spanish, and Jamaican slang. With tracksuits and hoodies specially sewn from African and Ceylonese print fabrics, or Mowgli dance moves for ragga beats, Arulpragasam showcased culture clashes that worked; being described as “a unique voice unafraid to mix big issues with cool sounds.”[21] It also featured exploration of new territory for its co-producers Steve Mackey and Richard X who worked with dancehall and Tamil nursery rhymes. Maya followed the release of the album with performances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Manhattan club S.O.B.s, at Central Park Summerstage, the Glastonbury Festival, Reading Festival and Japan's Summer Sonic Fest as well as at other venues.[22][23] She also toured with LCD Soundsystem.[24] She appeared on the track “Bad Man” on Missy Elliott’s 2005 album ''The Cookbook''.
On July 19, 2005, M.I.A. was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize for ''Arular''.[25] Commercially successful, ''Arular'' remains one of the best selling independent albums in Canada, having stayed on the Nielsen SoundScan Electronic Top Ten Chart for 27 weeks, peaking at number 3.28 In December, ''Arular'' was the second most featured album in music critics’ Year-End Top 10 lists for 2005.[26] It was placed number two on ''The Village Voice's 33rd annual ''Pazz & Jop'' poll for the Best Album of 2005[27] and gained glowing reviews from several publications worldwide.1920[28] M.I.A. ended 2005 joining Gwen Stefani on her Harajuku Lovers Tour.
''Kala'' (2007)
M.I.A. performing at the Siren Music Festival in June 2007.
The arrival of 2006 saw her returning to the studio to work on her second studio album, titled ''Kala''. The album was recorded while M.I.A. travelled through several different countries including India, Trinidad, Jamaica, Australia, Japan and Baltimore.[29] The album's producers include M.I.A., Switch, Morganics, Diplo, Blaqstarr and Timbaland. M.I.A. has cited the album as "shapes, colours, Africa, street, power, bitch, nu world, and brave."[30] M.I.A. also worked with Three 6 Mafia on two songs for her next album.[31] Neither of the tracks made the final cut.
Two of the album tracks, "XR2" and "20 Dollar" (which the fans titled "Talk About Moi") premiered on her Myspace and fan forum site, respectively. Arulpragasam visited Liberia in December 2006 to meet war-affected people there including ex-child soldiers and film a documentary on the post war situation in the country with activist Kimmie Weeks.[32][33] On May 2, 2007, a new track, "Hit That," was released onto the Internet via Bangladesh's MySpace profile, but never made it to the new album.. The song has a rehashed version of the rap from Richard X's 'Goodies' remix which featured M.I.A. Some of the lyrics from "Hit That" were used in the Japanese bonus track "What I Got."
"Bird Flu," produced by M.I.A., was released via her Myspace on February 5, 2007. Despite not being an actual single, a video was filmed and can be found on her official site, or on her Youtube account. M.I.A. featured in the song "Come Around", a bonus track on Timbaland's 2007 album ''Timbaland Presents Shock Value''. The song also appears on ''Kala''.
On 24 April 2007, the first official single to be lifted from M.I.A.'s second studio album was premiered by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1. The song, "Boyz," contains beats recorded from temple drums and was produced by Arulpragasam and Switch. During an interview prior to the single premiering, M.I.A. confirmed that video had been filmed in Jamaica. Zane Lowe then went on to confirm that the album's title is in fact ''Kala'' and not "Power Power" or "Jimmy" as previously speculated.
The album's second single "Jimmy" was released in August as the release date for ''Kala'' approached. The song is a cover of "Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" from the 1982 Bollywood movie, ''Disco Dancer''.
''Zig-Zag'' (2007)
M.I.A recently launched her own record label entitled Zig-Zag. Afrikan Boy’s track ‘Lidl’ is set to be the first release. In a Vbs.tv exclusive interview, M.I.A. brings Spike Jonze to meet Afrikan Boy in his immigrant neighborhood of Deptford, Woolwich, South London. [32]
''Piracy Funds Terrorism vol.2'' (2007 - 2008)
M.I.A. has remained quiet with revealing details about PFT2, though she has said there is plenty of unreleased material. Some speculation arose on the concept when, in a VBS.tv interview M.I.A. played a song reportedly titled "Talk About Moi." It is undetermined when PFT2 will be released.
Censorship
The nature of M.I.A.'s art work and lyrics has led to controversy. MTV refused to play the video of her single "Sunshowers" until the line "Like PLO, I don't surrendo", which references the Palestine Liberation Organization, is removed from the song. M.I.A. was denied a visa to enter the US around April/May 2006. The reason for the denial was not clearly explained. [34] M.I.A. has however previously stated in an interview about censorship of her work:
Discography
Main articles: M.I.A. discography
Albums
★ ''Piracy Funds Terrorism'' (2004)
★ ''Arular'' (2005) (Billboard 200: #190, Top Electronic Albums: #3, Top Heatseekers: #14, Top Independent Albums: #16)
★ ''Kala'' (2007) (UK: #39, UK Indie: #2, SWI: #74, NL: #44, AUS: #46, US: #18, SWE: #18, FIN: #38, NOR: #22, CAN: #16, IRL: #22, BEL: #41, WORLD ALBUM: #22)
Singles
| 'Year' | 'Title' | 'Album' | 'Chart positions' | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | U.S. | U.S Dance Sales | U.S Single Sales | CAN | JAP | |||
| 2003/ 2004 | "Galang" | ''Arular'' | | | | | | |
| 2004 | "Sunshowers" | | | | | | | |
| 2005 | "Bucky Done Gun" | | | | | | | |
| "Galang" '05 | | | | | | | ||
| 2007 | "Boyz" | ''Kala'' | | | | | | |
| "Jimmy" | | | | | | | ||
Guest appearances
★ Björk's Volta tour 2007, - Supporting at Arena de Nimes, 21/08/2007
★ Cornershop's "Topknot," single, 2004 - "Topknot [Cavemen's Mix]" featuring Bubbley Kaur & M.I.A.
★ Ciara's "Goodies," single, 2005 - "Goodies [Richard X's Remix]" featuring M.I.A.
★ Missy Elliott's ''The Cookbook,'' album, 2005 - "Bad Man" [featuring Vybz Kartel & M.I.A.]
★ Jamesy P's "Nookie," single, 2005 - "Nookie [Featuring M.I.A.]", "Nookie [M.I.A. & Jabba Remix]"
★ Nump's "I Gott Grapes," single, 2006 - "I Gott Grapes [M.I.A.'s Remix]"
★ Amanda Blank's "Take It Easy," MySpace single, 2007 - "Take It Easy" with M.I.A.
★ Timbaland's ''Timbaland Presents Shock Value,'' UK exclusive bonus track, 2007 - "Come Around" featuring M.I.A.
★ RockstarFire Fire by M.I.A in Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition soundtrack for PS2
Awards and nominations
Some awards and nominations M.I.A. has received are listed below.
Art
★ Alternative Turner Prize (UK)
★
★ 2002 Shortlisted - Alternative Turner Prize - Art - M.I.A. - Maya Arulpragasam
Music
★ Mercury Music Prize (UK)
★
★ 2005 Shortlisted - Mercury Music Prize - Album of the Year - ''Arular'' - M.I.A
★ South Bank Show Awards (UK)
★
★ 2006 Nominated - Breakthrough Award - M.I.A.
★ Shortlist Music Prize (U.S.)
★
★ 2006 Shortlisted - Shortlist Music Prize - Album of the Year - ''Arular'' - M.I.A
Trivia
★ She states in an interview that she idolised director Spike Jonze, wrote a script, and was approached by another director John Singleton to work on a film in LA.[35] She never ended up going, stating "I was more into Harmony Korine and Dogme 95, radical cinema."[36]
★ Moved to Compton, Los Angeles after high school to live out a dream of being a "Gangsta's Bitch".
★ Returned to Sri Lanka in 2001 with the intent of making a documentary to retrace the steps of her childhood and discover the fate of a cousin who had joined the Tigers and died under mysterious circumstances.[37] .
★ In 2000, she was a roommate of friend and fashion designer Luella Bartley. The two were featured in an article for ''Fashion Rocks Magazine'' in September 2006.[38]
★ Named ''Spin'' and ''URB'' magazines' "Artist of the Year" in 2005.
★ There is a song named after her called "Arulpragasam" on the nerdcore rapper mc chris' 2006 release, ''Dungeon Master of Ceremonies'' with the line " 'cause the future's harder to say than M.I.A.'s last name."
★ Placed #8 on Spinner.com's Who Rock Right Now''.
★ Her single "Bucky Done Gun" was included in the soundtrack of NBA Live 06.
★ In 2005, appeared on the cult T.V. show Pancake Mountain where she taught dance moves to children. One move was called “Step On The Cockroach”.
★ M.I.A.’s new bob was cut by her friend, a Polish hairdresser, while on Ketamine.
References
1. M.I.A.: Short Biography Loveridge, Steven
2. Fighting Talk Lynskey, Dorian
3. M.I.A.: Rapper and Daughter of Revolution Wang, Oliver
4. M.I.A. Arular Umile, Dominic
5. Flash-forward Empire, Kitty
6. M.I.A.: Short biography Kellman, Andy
7. London Calling - For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka... Wheaton, Robert
8. Not-So Missing in Action Mangla, Ismat
9. The Next Best Thing! M.I.A. Weiner, Jonah
10. M.I.A.: The Pocko Art Collection
11. “M.I.A." Pearson, Gemma
12. Drowned in Sound: M.I.A. - "Boyz". ''Drowned in Sound''. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
13. M.I.A. Is Back in Action
14. Interview: M.I.A. Pytlik, Mark
15. “M.I.A. - Arular" Webb, Adam
16. M.I.A.: Arular
17. Metroland Online – Live: M.I.A. “Tiger on the Mic”
18. M.I.A. Peters, Mitchell
19. Acclaimed Music - Arular Acclaimed Music.net
20. M.I.A.: Arular (2005): Reviews Metacritic
21. Release – Arular by M.I.A.
22. XL: M.I.A. Mini-Biography
23. Talking about her revolution Shapiro, Peter
24. M.I.A. Radio Interview (audio)
25. MIA, Myself and I Forrest, Emma
26. Metacritic: Best Albums of 2005 Metacritic
27. The 33rd Annual Village Voice pazz&jop critics’ poll The Village Voice
28. M.I.A. Closes 2005 in Grand Style Beggars Group Canada
29. Music Review: M.I.A. Returns
30. "10 essential albums for Spring"
31. M.I.A. in Ardent
32. Arulpragasam, Maya: Crack Guns in Africa, Crack in America. ''M.I.A. Myspace''. 2 December 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2007.
33. Top Singer M.I.A. in Liberia, MTV Crew in town
34. MIA Denied Entry To the US
35. Interview: M.I.A. Robert Epstein, Daniel
36. John Singleton - M.I.A. once eyed a career as a film-maker
37. Guerrilla Goddess Binielli, Mark
38. Luella Bartley & M.I.A.
Books
★ Arulpragasam, Maya (2002). ''M.I.A. No. 10'' (Paperback ed.). Pocko Editions. ISBN 1-903977-10-X
External links
★ Official Site
★
★ M.I.A Fans Forum
★ M.I.A KALA Latest album special site
★ Boyz Review
★ M.I.A.: XL Recordings:
★ M.I.A. Live in London
★ Pull Up The People: LiveJournal Fan Community
★
★ M.I.A.- NNDB
'Interviews':
★ Spike Jonze Interviews M.I.A for VBS.TV
★ Pitchforkmedia Interview: M.I.A. - ''Pitchforkmedia'' 2005
★ Bingo In Swansea - ''The New Yorker'' 2004
★ Not-So Missing In Action - ''Nirali Magazine'' 2004
★ M.I.A. Interview - 2005
★ Guerrilla Goddess - ''Rolling Stone'' 2005
★ "Self taught, tone deaf, mega energetic ‘mike controller' MIA speaks to aSHANTI OMkar" 2005
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