:M.I.A. (rapper)

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam{{cite news|url= https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2019/07/18/Famous-birthdays-for-July-18-Vin-Diesel-Kristen-Bell/8771563155558/|title=Famous birthdays for July 18: Vin Diesel, Kristen Bell|work=United Press International|date=18 July 2019|access-date=7 August 2019|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190719181941/https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2019/07/18/Famous-birthdays-for-July-18-Vin-Diesel-Kristen-Bell/8771563155558/|url-status=live|quote=Rapper M.I.A., born Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, in 1975 (age 44)}} was born on 18 July 1975,{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/43637|title=MIA's baby's name revealed|work=NME|location=UK|date=23 March 2009|access-date=2 April 2012|archive-date=17 April 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417074848/https://www.nme.com/news/music/mia-150-1305021|url-status=live}} in Hounslow, London, the daughter of Arul Pragasam,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/may/20/mia-white-country-you-dont-have-to-spell-it-out|title=MIA: 'This a white country, you don't have to spell it out to me'|last=Iqbal|first=Nosheen|date=20 May 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 May 2017|issn=0261-3077}} a Sri Lankan Tamil engineer, writer and activist, and his wife, Kala, a seamstress. Her first name is derived from the Hindu goddess, Matangi.{{cite web |title='I Built The Platform Myself': M.I.A. On Being Heard |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/11/05/243083622/i-built-the-platform-myself-m-i-a-on-being-heard |website=NPR |access-date=3 May 2024 |date=5 November 2013}} When she was six months old, her family moved to Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, where her brother was born.{{Cite news|last=Sawyer|first=Miranda|title=MIA: 'I'm here for the people'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jun/13/mia-feature-miranda-sawyer|access-date=23 July 2010|newspaper=The Observer|publisher=Guardian Media Group|date=13 June 2010|location=London}} There, her father adopted the name Arular and became a political activist and founding member of the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), a political Tamil group affiliated with the LTTE. The first 11 years of Arulpragasam's life were marked by displacement caused by the Sri Lankan Civil War. Her family went into hiding from the Sri Lankan Army, and Arulpragasam had little contact with her father during this period. She has described her family as living in "big-time" poverty during her childhood but also recalls some of her happiest memories from growing up in Jaffna.{{Cite news|author=Empire, Kitty|title=Flash-forward|work=The Observer|location=UK|publisher=Guardian Media Group|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,1438918,00.html|date=20 March 2005|access-date=30 March 2007}} Maya attended Catholic convent schools such as the Holy Family Convent, Jaffna, where she developed her art skills—painting in particular—to work her way up her class.{{Cite news|author=Fortunato, John |title=I AM M.I.A. HERE'S ME RAW |url=http://hightimes.com/entertainment/jfortunato/3937 |work=Beer Melodies/High Times |access-date=28 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215133213/http://hightimes.com/entertainment/jfortunato/3937 |archive-date=15 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Due to safety concerns, Arulpragasam's mother moved with her children to Madras in India, where they lived in a derelict house and received sporadic visits from their father, who was introduced to the children as their "uncle" in order to protect them.{{cite web|author=Kellman, Andy|title=M.I.A.: Short biography|website=allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p674864/biography|pure_url=yes}} | access-date=30 March 2007}} The family, minus Arular, then resettled in Jaffna temporarily, only to see the war escalate further in northeast Sri Lanka. During this time, nine-year-old Arulpragasam's primary school was destroyed in a government raid.{{Cite news|author=Harrington, Richard|date=16 September 2005|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR2005091500697_pf.html|title=M.I.A., No Loss For Words|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=9 November 2008}}

Her mother then returned with her children back to London in 1986, a week before Arulpragasam's 11th birthday, where they were housed as refugees. Her father arrived on the island and became an independent peace mediator between the two sides of the civil war in the late 1980s–2010. Arulpragasam spent the rest of her childhood and teenage years living on the Phipps Bridge Estate in the Mitcham district of south London, where she learned to speak English, while her mother brought the children up on a modest income. Arulpragasam entered the final year of primary school in the autumn of 1986 and quickly mastered the English language. Her classmates had difficulty pronouncing her first name so her aunt suggested that she use the nickname "Maya". Hers was one of only two Asian families on the estate at the time,{{cite web|author=Wheaton, Robert|title=London Calling – For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka..|work=PopMatters|url=https://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/mia-0505062.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124220154/http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/mia-0505062.shtml|archive-date=24 January 2009|date=6 May 2005|access-date=6 May 2007}} in an atmosphere she has described as "incredibly racist."{{Citation|last=OxfordUnion|title=M.I.A {{!}} Full Q&A {{!}} Oxford Union|date=10 May 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZHxzKwwgaY&t=1m46s|access-date=20 June 2017}}

While living in England and raising her children, Arulpragasam's mother became a Christian in 1990 and worked as a seamstress for the Royal Family for much of her career. She worked from her home in London's Tooting area. Arulpragasam had a difficult relationship with her father, due to his political activities in the 1980s and complete absence during much of her life. Prior to the release of the first album, which Arulpragasam had named after her father, he emailed her: "This is Dad. Change the title of your album. I'm really proud. Just read about you in the Sri Lanka Times. Dad."{{cite news|last1=McLean|first1=Craig|title=Agent provocateur|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3666998/Agent-provocateur.html|access-date=9 December 2014|agency=Telegraph|date=4 August 2007}} She chose not to change the album title. Arulpragasam attended the Ricards Lodge High School in Wimbledon. Following high school, she attended Central Saint Martins by gaining admittance through unconventional means despite not having formally applied.{{Cite news|url=https://arthurmag.com/2007/02/11/interview-with-mia-from-arthur-magazine/|title=Interview with M.I.A. from ARTHUR No. 16 (May 2005)|date=11 February 2007|work=Arthur Magazine|access-date=16 August 2018}} In 2000, she graduated from London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design with a degree in fine art, film and video.{{cite web|author=Mangla, Ismat|title=Not-So Missing in Action|work=Nirali Magazine|url=http://niralimagazine.com/2004/10/not-so-missing-in-action/|date=4 October 2004|access-date=13 May 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513082654/http://niralimagazine.com/2004/10/not-so-missing-in-action/|archive-date=13 May 2008}}

While attending Central St Martins College, Arulpragasam wanted to make films and art depicting realism that would be accessible to everyone, something that she felt was missing from her classmates' ethos and the course criteria. At college, she found the fashion courses "disposable" and more current than the film texts that she studied.{{Cite news|url=http://www.arthurmag.com/2007/02/11/interview-with-mia-from-arthur-magazine/|title=Interview with M.I.A. from Arthur Magazine|author=Orlov, Piotr|date=2004{{ndash}}2005|work=Arthur|volume=16}} Maya told Arthur magazine "[Students there were] exploring apathy, dressing up in some pigeon outfit, or running around conceptualising ... It missed the whole point of art representing society. Social reality didn't really exist there; it just stopped at theory." She cited "radical cinema" including Harmony Korine, Dogme 95 and Spike Jonze as some of her cinematic inspirations during film school.{{cite web|title=John Singleton – M.I.A. once eyed a career as a film-maker|work=Contactmusic.com|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/mia%20once%20eyed%20a%20career%20as%20a%20film-maker|date=4 October 2005|access-date=20 August 2006}} As a student, she was approached by director John Singleton to work on a film in Los Angeles after he had read a script she had written, though she decided not to take up the offer.{{cite web|last=Epstein|first=Daniel|title=Interview: M.I.A|publisher=SuicideGirls|url=http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/M.I.A./|date=29 December 2005|access-date=20 August 2006}} For her degree, M.I.A. prepared her departmental honours thesis on the film CB4.{{cite web|url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/kehinde-wiley/|title=Kehinde Wiley|date=November 2008|access-date=25 November 2011}}

Arulpragasam befriended students in the college's fashion, advertising and graphics departments. She met Justine Frischmann, front woman of the British band Elastica, through her friend Damon Albarn at an Air concert in 1999, and Frischmann commissioned Arulpragasam to create the cover art for the band's 2000 album, The Menace, and video document their American tour. Arulpragasam returned to Jaffna in 2001 to film a documentary on Tamil youth, but was unable to complete the project because she encountered harassment.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/m-i-a-guerilla-goddess-20051229|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=15 December 2005|first=Mark|last=Binelli|title=Guerrilla Goddess|access-date=6 September 2010}} In 2001, Arulpragasam's first public exhibition of paintings after graduating took place at the Euphoria Shop on London's Portobello Road. It featured graffiti art and spray-paint canvasses mixing Tamil political street art with images of London life and consumerist culture.{{Cite news|author=Gibbons, Fiachra|title=Crucified artist up for Alternative Turner Prize|work=The Guardian|location=UK|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/nov/30/arts.artsnews2|date=30 November 2002|access-date=28 December 2008}} The show was nominated for an Alternative Turner Prize and a monograph book of the collection was published in 2002,{{ref|1}} titled M.I.A.. Actor Jude Law was among early buyers of her art.{{cite magazine|author=Weiner, Jonah|title=The Next Best Thing! M.I.A|magazine=Blender|page=50|date=January–February 2005}}

File:MIASonar2.jpg on her Arular Tour]]

Arulpragasam cites the radio broadcasts she heard emanating from her neighbours' flats in the late 1980s as some of her first exposures to her earliest musical influences. From there, she developed an interest in hip-hop and dancehall, identifying with "the starkness of the sound" in records by Public Enemy, MC Shan and Ultramagnetic MCs; and the "weird, distinct style" of acts such as Silver Bullet and London Posse.{{Cite news|first=Jackson|last=Reeves|title=Exclusive Interview with M.I.A|url=http://misc.vassar.edu/archives/2008/04/exclusive_inter.html|work=The Miscellany News|publisher=Vassar College|date=10 April 2008|access-date=6 July 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005002510/http://misc.vassar.edu/archives/2008/04/exclusive_inter.html|archive-date=5 October 2008}} In college she developed an affinity for punk and the emerging sounds of Britpop and electroclash. M.I.A. cites The Slits, Malcolm McLaren and The Clash as major influences.{{cite web|author=Todd, Bella|title=MIA: Interview|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/timeout-40/features/5781/MIA-interview.html|work=Time Out|date=22 September 2008|access-date=6 October 2008|archive-date=28 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928123550/http://www.timeout.com/london/timeout-40/features/5781/MIA-interview.html|url-status=dead}}

By 2001, Arulpragasam designed the cover for Elastica's last single "The Bitch Don't Work", and went on the road with the band to video document their tour. The tour's supporting act, electroclash artist Peaches, introduced Arulpragasam to the Roland MC-505 and encouraged her to make music, a medium in which Arulpragasam lacked confidence.{{cite web|author=Pearson, Gemma|title=M.I.A|url=http://www.fusedmagazine.com/Past_Issues/Issue_21/M+26+2346+3bI+26+2346+3bA+26+2346+3b.aspx|work=Fused Magazine|year=2004|access-date=4 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927005531/http://www.fusedmagazine.com/Past_Issues/Issue_21/M%2B26%2B2346%2B3bI%2B26%2B2346%2B3bA%2B26%2B2346%2B3b.aspx|archive-date=27 September 2007|url-status=dead}} While holidaying together in Bequia in the Caribbean, Arulpragasam began experimenting with Frischmann's MC-505.{{Cite news|author=Maclean, Craig|title=Agent Provocateur|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3666998/Agent-provocateur.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=4 August 2007|access-date=16 September 2010}} She adopted her stage name, "M.I.A.", standing for "Missing In Acton" during this time. In her 2012 book Arulpragasam writes, "M.I.A. came to be because of my missing cousin. I wanted to make a film about where he was since he was M.I.A. (Missing in Action) in Sri Lanka. We were the same age, went to the same schools growing up. I was also living in Acton at the time. So I was living in Acton looking for my cousin missing in action."{{cite book|last1=Arulpragasam|first1=Mathangi|title=M.I.A.|year=2012|orig-year=2012|publisher=Rizzoli|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8478-3917-9|page=13}} Of her time in Bequia, she said "I started going out to this chicken shed with a sound system. You buy rum through a hatch and dance in the street. They convinced me to come to church where people sing so amazingly. But I couldn't clap along to hallelujah. I was out of rhythm. Someone said, 'What happened to Jesus? I saw you dancing last night and you were totally fine.' They stopped the service and taught me to clap in time. It was embarrassing". Returning to West London, where she shared an apartment with Frischmann, she began working with a simple set-up (a second-hand 4-track tape machine, the MC-505, and a radio microphone), composing and recording a six-song demo tape that included "Lady Killa", "M.I.A.", and "Galang".{{cite web|author=Garcia, Nicholas|work=Drowned in Sound|url=http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/2232852|title=M.I.A. – "Boyz"|date=24 July 2007|access-date=9 September 2007|archive-date=12 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012170238/http://drownedinsound.com/articles/2232852|url-status=dead}}

In 2003, the independent label Showbiz Records pressed 500 vinyl singles of "Galang", a mix of dancehall, electro, jungle, and world music, with Seattle Weekly praising its a cappella coda as a "lift-up-and-over moment" evoking "clear skies beyond the council flats."{{cite web|author=Matos, Michaelangelo|title=Stormy, Tipsy, Mya, M.I.A|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/2004-03-17/music/stormy-tipsy-mya-m-i-a/|work=Seattle Weekly|date=17 March 2004|access-date=21 October 2008}}{{cite magazine|last=Frere-Jones|first=Sasha|title=Bingo in Swansea: Maya Arulpragsam's world|magazine=The New Yorker|url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/11/22/041122crmu_music|date=22 November 2004|access-date=24 May 2008}} File sharing, college radio airplay, and the rise in popularity of "Galang" and "Sunshowers" in dance clubs and fashion shows made M.I.A. an underground sensation.{{cite web|last=Schatz|first=Lincoln|title=M.I.A. – Esquire|url=http://www.esquire.com/blogs/cube/mia-video|work=Esquire|date=27 June 2008|access-date=13 January 2011}} M.I.A. has been heralded as one of the first artists to build a large fanbase exclusively via these channels and as someone who could be studied to re-examine the internet's impact on how listeners are exposed to new music.{{cite web|author=Timmermann, Josh|title=M.I.A. – Arular – Review|work=Stylus Magazine|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2772|date=24 February 2005|access-date=24 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050227160624/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2772|archive-date=27 February 2005}}{{cite web|author=Sung, Hannah|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706165158/http://music.aol.ca/article/MIA/130/|url=http://music.aol.ca/article/MIA/130/|title=M.I.A. Is Back in Action|publisher=AOL Music Canada|archive-date=6 July 2011|access-date=27 August 2007}}{{cite web|author=Slant Staff|title=Best of the Aughts: Singles|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-of-the-aughts-singles/214|work=Slant|date=25 January 2010|access-date=16 September 2010}} She began uploading her music onto her MySpace account in June 2004. Major record labels caught on to the popularity of the second song she has written,{{Cite news|title=M.I.A.'s Agitprop Pop|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/magazine/30mia-t.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=25 May 2010|access-date = 22 October 2015|issn=0362-4331|first=Lynn|last=Hirschberg}} "Galang", and M.I.A. was eventually signed to XL Recordings in mid-2004.{{cite web|author=Pytlik, Mark|title=Interview: M.I.A|work=Pitchfork Media|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/interviews/m/mia-05/|date=14 March 2005|access-date=12 April 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050317044856/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/interviews/m/mia-05/|archive-date=17 March 2005}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_Jonathan_Dickins_Interview.html|title=Interview with Jonathan Dickins|publisher=HitQuarters|date=14 July 2008|access-date=24 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705064832/http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview%2Fopar%2Fintrview_Jonathan_Dickins_Interview.html|archive-date=5 July 2015|url-status=dead}} Her debut album, to be titled Arular was finalised by borrowing studio time.

M.I.A.'s next single, "Sunshowers", released on 5 July 2004, and its B-side ("Fire Fire") described guerrilla warfare and asylum seeking, merging ambiguous references to violence and religious persecution with black and white forms of dissidence. These themes inspired her treatment for the music video, the first she wrote. It was filmed in the jungles of South India, which she has described as her favourite.{{cite web|author=Gavras, Romain|url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/mia/3/|title=MIA by Romain Gavras|work=Interview|date=7 July 2010|access-date=31 October 2010}} "Galang" was re-released in 2004. In September 2004, M.I.A. was first featured on the cover of the publication The FADER,{{cite web|title=The FADER|url=http://www.thefader.com/|website=www.thefader.com|access-date=22 October 2015}} in its 24th issue.{{cite magazine|last=FADER|first=The|title=Premiere: Issue 24: M.I.A/Cam'ron|magazine=The FADER|date=8 August 2010|url=http://shop.thefader.com/products/Issue-24%3A-M.I.A.-%7B47%7D-Cam%E2%80%99ron.html|access-date=13 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113232144/http://shop.thefader.com/products/Issue-24%3A-M.I.A.-%7B47%7D-Cam%E2%80%99ron.html|archive-date=13 November 2013}} The music video for "Galang" made in November of that year showed multiple M.I.A.s against a backdrop of militaristic animated graffiti, and depicted scenes of urban Britain and war that influenced her art direction for it. Both singles appeared on international publications' "Best of the Year" lists and subsequently "Best of the Decade" lists. The songs "Pull Up the People", "Bucky Done Gun" and "" were released as 12-inch singles and CDs by XL Recordings, which along with the non-label mashup mixtape of Arular tracks, Piracy Funds Terrorism, were distributed in 2004 to positive critical acclaim.

M.I.A. made her North American live debut in February 2005 in Toronto where concertgoers already knew many of her songs. In March 2005, M.I.A.'s debut album Arular was released worldwide to critical acclaim after several months delay.{{cite web|author=Metacritic|title=M.I.A.: Arular (2005): Reviews|work=Metacritic|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/mia/arular|date=31 December 2005|access-date=24 February 2007|archive-date=7 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507025758/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/mia/arular|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|author=Southall, Nick|title=Summer Dubbin' 2004|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/summer-jam-mixtapes-2004.htm|work=Stylus Magazine|date=21 June 2004|access-date=22 November 2007|archive-date=28 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128135017/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/summer-jam-mixtapes-2004.htm|url-status=dead}} The album title is the nom de guerre that M.I.A.'s father took when he joined the Tamil independence movement, and many of the songs acknowledge her and her father's experiences in Jaffna. While making Arular in her bedroom in west London, she built tracks off her demos, using beats she programmed on the Roland MC-505.{{Cite news|author=McKinnon, Matthew|url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/mia.html|title=Tigress Beat|publisher=CBC|location=Canada|date=3 March 2005|access-date=30 December 2008}}{{cite web|author=Lindsay, Cam|title=M.I.A.'s Outsider Art|url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=114&csid2=946&fid1=27365|work=Exclaim!|year=2007|access-date=18 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201234657/http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=114&csid2=946&fid1=27365|archive-date=1 December 2007}} The album experiments with bold, jarring and ambient sounds, and its lyrics address the Iraq War and daily life in London as well as M.I.A.'s past.{{cite web|author=Ali, Lorraine|url=https://www.spin.com/2008/11/mia-rebel-yell/|title=M.I.A.: With a Rebel Yell|work=Spin|date=20 November 2008|access-date=12 August 2010}}{{cite web|author=Simmons, Will|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1941|title=M.I.A|work=Stylus Magazine|access-date=22 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060329170246/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1941|archive-date=29 March 2006}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tijd.be/cultuur/algemeen-recensie-cd/M.I.A._-_-Arular-.1714341-1104.art?highlight=Arulpragasam|title=De Tijd: M.I.A./'Arular'|work=De Tijd|access-date=4 May 2005|language=nl}}

"Galang", "Sunshowers", "Hombre" and the funk carioca-inspired co-composition "Bucky Done Gun" were released as singles from Arular. The release of the latter marked the first time that a funk carioca-inspired song was played on mainstream radio and music television in Brazil, its country of origin.{{Cite magazine|author=W.H.|title=M.I.A|magazine=Spin|page=57|issue=1|date=January 2006}} M.I.A. worked with one of her musical influences Missy Elliott, contributing to the track "Bad Man" on her 2005 album The Cookbook. Despite initial fears that her dyslexia might pose problems while touring, M.I.A. supported the album through a series of festival and club shows, including the Bue Festival in Buenos Aires, a free headlining show at Central Park Summerstage, the Summer Sonic Fest and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where she played an encore in response to crowd enthusiasm, a rare occurrence for the festival generally and the first encore following a tent performance at Coachella.{{cite web|title=M.I.A. Lines Up Tour, Will Open Several Gwen Stefani Shows|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1507137/mia-heading-out-on-tour.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623182648/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1507137/mia-heading-out-on-tour.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 June 2012|publisher=MTV|date=8 August 2005|access-date=16 January 2011}}{{cite web|title=Coldplay, NIN Top Coachella With Emotional Performances|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1501113/20050502/coldplay.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050507154414/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1501113/20050502/coldplay.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 May 2005|publisher=MTV|date=2 May 2005|access-date=1 October 2007}} She also toured with Roots Manuva and LCD Soundsystem, and ended 2005 briefly touring with Gwen Stefani and performing at the Big Day Out festival.{{Cite journal|author=Mower, Sarah|title=Keeping It Real|page=293|journal=Vogue|date=April 2006}}{{Cite episode|title=M.I.A. 2005: Live Performances|url=http://www.kexp.org/aspnet_client/KEXPViewMediaGroup.aspx?rID=2594&pID=528&fID=1092&date=1092|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050525031052/http://www.kexp.org/aspnet_client/KEXPViewMediaGroup.aspx?rID=2594&pID=528&fID=1092&date=1092|archive-date=25 May 2005|series=Where the music matters: Live Performances|credits=Presenter: M. Myers|network=KEXP-FM|station=90. 3 FM|location=Seattle, USA|air-date=11 May 2005}}

On 19 July 2005, M.I.A. was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize for Arular.{{Cite news|author=Forrest, Emma|title=MIA, Myself and I|work=The Guardian|location=London|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,1562109,00.html|date=4 September 2005|access-date=19 April 2006}} According to the music review aggregation Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 88 out of 100, described as "universal acclaim".{{cite web|title=M.I.A.: Arular (2005): Reviews|website=Metacritic|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/arular/critic-reviews|date=31 December 2005|access-date=23 December 2007}} They reported in 2010 that Arular was the seventh best reviewed album of 2005 and the ninth Best-Reviewed Electronic/Dance Album on Metacritic of the 2000–09 decade.{{cite web|author=Dietz, Jason|title=The Best Music of the Decade – MetaCritic|website=Metacritic|url=http://features.metacritic.com/features/2009/best-music-of-the-decade/2/|date=31 December 2009|access-date=30 September 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221053535/http://features.metacritic.com/features/2009/best-music-of-the-decade/2/|archive-date=21 December 2009}}{{cite web|title=MetaCritic: Best Albums of 2005|work=Metacritic|url=http://apps.metacritic.com/music/bests/2005.shtml|date=31 December 2005|access-date=24 February 2007|archive-date=9 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509201326/http://apps.metacritic.com/music/bests/2005.shtml|url-status=dead}} Arular became the second most featured album in music critics' Year-End Top 10 lists for 2005 and was named best of the year by publications such as Blender, Stylus and Musikbyrån.

File:Mia20061.jpg

In 2006, M.I.A. recorded her second studio album Kala, this time named after her mother. Due to visa complications in the United States, the album was recorded in a variety of locations — India, Trinidad, Liberia, Jamaica, Australia, Japan, and the UK. Eventually the album was completed in the US.

Kala featured live instrumentation and layers of traditional dance and folk styles such as soca and the urumee drum of gaana, rave music and bootleg soundtracks of Tamil film music, incorporating new styles into her avant-garde electronic dance music.{{cite web|author=Durbin, Jonathan|title=M.I.A., Bona Fide Hustla, releases Kala|work=Paper|url=http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=2313&page=1|date=27 November 2007|access-date=23 August 2010}}{{cite web|author=Bidder, Sean|title=M.I.A. – Fact Magazine|url=http://www.factmag.com/2009/01/01/interview-m-i-a/|work=FACT|access-date=23 August 2010|date=31 December 2008}} The songs, artwork and fashion of Kala have been characterised as simultaneously celebratory and infused with raw, "darker, outsider" themes, such as immigration politics, personal relationships and war.{{cite news|title=Life in Exile|url=http://www.thefader.com/blog/articles/2007/08/07/video-interview-mia-jimmy|work=The Fader|date=8 June 2007|access-date=9 February 2008}}{{Cite journal|title=M.I.A.: Person in Focus (in Japanese)|journal=Asahi Shimbun|location=Japan|page=15|date=6 August 2007}} In February 2007, the first track from the album to be made available to the public was "Bird Flu", which was posted with an accompanying music video to her MySpace.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/05/mias-out-for-blood-with-new-track/|title=M.I.A.'s Out for Blood With New Track|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=5 February 2007|access-date=4 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206203259/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/05/mias-out-for-blood-with-new-track/|archive-date=6 February 2007}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/24472|title=MIA returns with 'Bird Flu'|work=NME|location=UK|date=27 September 2006|access-date=4 February 2009}} Later that year, M.I.A. featured in the song "Come Around", a bonus track on Timbaland's 2007 album Shock Value and a track on Kala. The album's first official single "Boyz" was released in June 2007, accompanied by a music video co-directed by Jay Will and M.I.A., becoming M.I.A.'s first top ten charting song. The single "Jimmy", written about an invitation to tour genocide-affected regions in Rwanda that the singer received from a journalist while staying in Liberia, was released next.{{Cite news|last=Breihan|first=Tom|title=Status Ain't Hood interviews M.I.A|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/statusainthood/archives/2007/07/status_aint_hoo_28.php|work=The Village Voice|access-date=23 August 2010|date=18 July 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915191143/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/statusainthood/archives/2007/07/status_aint_hoo_28.php|archive-date=15 September 2008}} The single "Paper Planes", described a "satire on immigrant stereotypes",{{cite video|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaK0YBA8Lss |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110033107/http://www.youtube.com//watch?v=uaK0YBA8Lss |archive-date=10 January 2011 |url-status=dead|access-date=22 October 2015}} and the EP Paper Planes – Homeland Security Remixes EP were released digitally in February 2008, the single eventually selling three times platinum in the US and Canada, certified Gold in New Zealand,{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH|title=Gold & Platinum Searchable Database|access-date=14 December 2010|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626050454/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH|archive-date=26 June 2007}} (user must enter "M.I.A." and "Paper Planes" in search fields and click "Go"){{cite web|url=http://www.radioscope.net.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=77&Itemid=63|title=Latest Gold / Platinum Singles|publisher=RadioScope New Zealand|access-date=17 May 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724195729/http://www.radioscope.net.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=77&Itemid=63|archive-date=24 July 2011}} and becoming the 29th most downloaded song in the digital era in the US and earning a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/48681-dfa-adrock-remix-mias-paper-planes-on-new-ep|title=DFA, Adrock Remix M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" on New EP|first=Paul|last=Thompson|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=14 September 2009|date=13 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306224816/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/48681-dfa-adrock-remix-mias-paper-planes-on-new-ep|archive-date=6 March 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/51st_Show/list.aspx|work=Grammy|title=The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List|access-date=3 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204185746/http://www.grammy.com/Grammy_Awards/51st_show/list.aspx|archive-date=4 December 2008}} "Paper Planes" is to date XL Recordings' second best selling single, and by November 2011 it had sold 3.6 million copies in the US, currently the seventh best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era.Grein, Paul (24 November 2011). "[http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/chart-watch-extra-adele-tops-brit-tally-183403147.html Chart Watch Extra: Adele Tops Brit Tally] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322001918/http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/chart-watch-extra-adele-tops-brit-tally-183403147.html |date=22 March 2012 }}". Yahoo. Retrieved 3 February 2012 In 2007, M.I.A. also released the How Many Votes Fix Mix EP which included a remix of "Boyz" featuring Jay-Z.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2008/10/10/freeload-m-i-a-boyz-with-jay-z-and-wale/|title=Freeload: M.I.A., "Boyz" with Jay-Z and Wale|work=The Fader|access-date=7 December 2008}}

Like its predecessor, universal acclaim met Kala's release in August 2007 and the album earned a normalised rating of 87 out of 100 on Metacritic.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/kala/critic-reviews|title=M.I.A. : Kala (2007)|access-date=5 September 2007|website=Metacritic}} Kala was a greater commercial success than Arular. To support Kala, M.I.A. performed at a series of music festivals on the Kala Tour featuring performances in Europe, America and Asia. She performed three dates opening for Björk in the US and France.{{cite web|title=A globalist rapper pauses for breath |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20071005a1.html|work=The Japan Times|first=Daniel|last=Robson|date=5 October 2007|access-date=19 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329094356/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20071005a1.html |archive-date=29 March 2008}}{{cite web|title=M.I.A. adds U.S. dates to Summer Tour|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/43913-mia-adds-us-dates-to-summer-tour|work=Pitchfork Media|date= 28 June 2007|access-date=30 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701062748/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/43913-mia-adds-us-dates-to-summer-tour|archive-date=1 July 2007}} In 2008, M.I.A. provided guest vocals on Buraka Som Sistema's kuduro song "Sound of Kuduro", recorded in Angola with an accompanying video.{{Cite magazine|date=May 2008|title=M.I.A. Picks Best Global Sound|magazine=Rolling Stone}} The same year, M.I.A. and director Spike Jonze filmed a documentary in Woolwich, South London, in which they both appeared with Afrikan Boy, a Nigerian immigrant rapper and she disclosed plans to launch her own record label, Zig-Zag.{{Cite episode|title=M.I.A. – Spike Jonze Spends Saturday With ...|series=Spike Spends Saturday With. ...|location=London, UK|air-date=20 August 2007|network=VBS.tv|url=http://www.interscope.com/artist/player/default.aspx?meid=697&aid=555|credits=Spike Jonze, M.I.A., Afrikan Boy, Shemko|access-date=23 October 2008}}{{Cite news|first=Rosie|last=Swash|title=Sugababes aren't so sweet without Mutya (MySpace of the week: Afrikan Boy)|url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/singlesclub/story/0,,2176814,00.html|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=25 September 2007|access-date=23 August 2010}}{{cite web|title= Listen: New (Old) M.I.A.: "Zig Zag"|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/41700-listen-new-old-mia-zig-zag/|website=Pitchfork|first = Larry |last =Fitzmaurice|date =28 February 2011}} She ended the year with concerts in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|title=MIA announces new UK tour|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/31882|work=NME|location=UK|date=18 October 2007|access-date=19 December 2008}} By year end, Kala was named the best album of 2007 by publications including Rolling Stone and Blender.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.org/music/bests/2007.shtml|title=MetaCritic: Best Albums of 2007|website=Metacritic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227210002/http://www.metacritic.org/music/bests/2007.shtml|archive-date=27 December 2007|url-status=dead}} Metacritic reported in 2010 that Kala was the tenth Best-Reviewed Electronic/Dance Album on the website of the 2000–09 decade, one position below her debut album Arular. M.I.A. performed on the People vs. Money Tour during the first half of 2008. She cancelled the final leg of her tour in Europe through June and July after revealing her intentions to take a career break and work on other art projects, go back to college and make a film.

In 2008, M.I.A. started her independent record label N.E.E.T. Recordings.{{Cite news|first=Shaheem|last=Reid|title=T-Pain Proves His Rap Skills On Pr33 Ringz; Andre 3000 Wants You To Say He's Wack: Mixtape Monday (Plus: M.I.A. has a fan in Kanye West)|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1594197/20080905/story.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914060928/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1594197/20080905/story.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 September 2008|publisher=MTV|date=8 September 2008|access-date=12 September 2008}} The first artist signed to the label was Baltimore rapper Rye Rye, who performed with M.I.A. at the Diesel XXX party at Pier 3 in Brooklyn in October 2008 where it was revealed that M.I.A. was pregnant with her first child.{{cite web|author=John S.W. Macdonald|title=This Week In M.I.A. News: Baby On Board!|url=http://oldfiles.observermediagroup.com/node/76850|work=New York Observer|date=13 October 2008|access-date=27 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130208155417/http://oldfiles.observermediagroup.com/node/76850|archive-date=8 February 2013}} During her performance at the 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival, M.I.A. announced it was her "last show ever", following by cancelling a British tour and saying she would then focus on recording new material.{{citation |url=|title=M.I.A. calls Bonnaroo her 'last show ever'|work=NME|date=16 June 2008}} However, a few days afterwards Danny Boyle called her, wanting her to collaborate with A. R. Rahman in the score of his film Slumdog Millionaire.{{cite web|author=Perez, Rodrigo|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mia-170-1328594|publisher=MTV|title=DANNY BOYLE AND POP SENSATION M.I.A. TALK 'SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE' SOUNDTRACK|date=24 November 2008|access-date=12 October 2010}} The result was the song "O... Saya", for which M.I.A. was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film for the song.{{cite web|author=Kaufman, Gil|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1603419/20090123/mia__4_.jhtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907174232/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1603419/20090123/mia__4_.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 September 2012|publisher=MTV|title=M.I.A. 'Honored' By Oscar Nod, Wants To Book Dave Chappelle For Baby Shower|date=23 January 2009|access-date=12 October 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/81academyawards/nominees.html|title=Nominees for the 81st Academy Awards  – Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences|date=22 January 2009|work=Academy Awards|publisher=Oscars.org|access-date=23 August 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsoundtrackacademy.com/news2.cgi?go=detail&id=863&lang=en|work=World Soundtrack Academy|title=Nominees 9th World Soundtrack Awards announced|date=18 August 2009|access-date=7 October 2010|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718114900/http://www.worldsoundtrackacademy.com/news2.cgi?go=detail&id=863&lang=en|url-status=dead}} M.I.A. was due to perform at the Oscars ceremony two weeks after her Grammy Award performance, but could not as she had just given birth to her son.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/42835|title='Slumdog Millionaire' composer: 'M.I.A. wants to play Oscars'|work=New Musical Express|location=UK|date=17 February 2009|access-date=23 August 2010}} M.I.A. is the first person of Asian descent to be nominated for an Oscar and Grammy award in the same year.

File:Flickr - moses namkung - M.I.A. 5.jpg in August 2009]]

At the 2009 BRIT Awards in February, M.I.A. was a nominee for Best British Female Artist.[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/full-list-of-awards-and-nominees-for-2009-brit-awards-1452048.html Full list of awards and nominees for 2009 Brit Awards] The Independent. Retrieved 3 February 2012 Seeking to promote new, underground music with N.E.E.T., M.I.A. signed more bands including Baltimore musician Blaqstarr, indie rock band Sleigh Bells and visual artist Jaime Martinez by late 2009. 3D photographic images of M.I.A. by Martinez were commissioned in April of that year.{{Cite news|title=Rye-Rye N.E.E.T. Records Debut Single|url=http://www.beatsandbombs.com/tag/neet-records/|publisher= MTV |date=8 September 2008|access-date=12 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306052823/http://www.beatsandbombs.com/tag/neet-records/ |archive-date=6 March 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url= https://pitchfork.com/news/38547-awesome-new-mia-images/|title=Awesome New M.I.A. Images|work=Pitchfork Media|date=20 April 2010|access-date=12 August 2010}} In August 2009, M.I.A. began composing and recording her third studio album in a home studio section in her Los Angeles house.{{cite web|archive-date = 21 May 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190521135611/http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview%2Fopar%2Fintrview_Blaqstarr_Interview.html|url = http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_Blaqstarr_Interview.html|title = Interview with BLAQSTARR, artist, DJ and producer for M.I.A. and Rye Rye|publisher = HitQuarters|date = 26 July 2010|url-status = dead}} In January 2010, M.I.A. posted her video for the song "Space".{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2010/01/12/we-think-mia-just-posted-a-new-songvideo-but-were-not-100-positive/|title=We Think MIA Just Posted a New Song/Video But We're Not 100% Positive |work=The Fader|date=12 January 2010|access-date=26 May 2010|first=Julianne|last=Escobedo Shepherd}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/50841|title=MIA announces new album tracklisting|date=27 April 2010|access-date=26 May 2010|work=NME|location=UK}} While composing it, she helped write a song with Christina Aguilera called "Elastic Love" for Aguilera's album Bionic.{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2009/10/01/christina-aguilera-wraps-new-album-collaborates-with-flo-rida/ |title=Christina Aguilera wraps new album, collaborates with Flo Rida|work=Rap-Up|date=1 October 2009|access-date=1 October 2009}} By April 2010, the song and music video/short film "Born Free"{{cite video|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeMvUlxXyz8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/IeMvUlxXyz8 |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=22 October 2015}}{{cbignore}} were leaked online.{{cite news|title=Does MIA's Born Free video overstep the mark? {{!}} Pickard of the Pops|url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/28/mia-born-free|newspaper = The Guardian|access-date = 22 October 2015 |first = Anna|last = Pickard|date = 28 April 2010}} The video-film short was directed by Romain Gavras and written by M.I.A., depicting genocide against red-haired adolescents being forced to run across a minefield and caused controversy due to its violent content.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/50823|title=MIA releases violent video for new song 'Born Free' |work= NME|location=UK|date=26 April 2010|access-date=27 May 2010}}{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/27/mia.music.video/index.html|title=M.I.A. music video elicits strong online response|publisher=CNN|first=Lisa|last= Respers France|date=27 April 2010|access-date=27 May 2010}} The video was removed from YouTube the same day it was released, then reinstated with an age restriction, then removed once more.{{cite web|title=YouTube|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUNrYLKLm_E |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/oUNrYLKLm_E |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=22 October 2015}}{{cbignore}} Although not an official single, the song charted in Sweden and the United Kingdom. M.I.A.'s third album, Maya — stylised as ΛΛ Λ Y Λ — was released on 23 June 2010 in Japan with bonus tracks before its release in other countries.{{cite web|first=Ryan|last= Dombal|date=7 August 2010|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/38757-mia-names-lp-bumps-release-date/|title=M.I.A. Names LP, Bumps Release Date|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=23 August 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.neowing.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=BGJ-10084|title=[CD] 未定 (3rd Album) [3ヶ月期間限定価格盤] / M.I.A.|work=Neowing|language=ja|access-date=21 April 2010}} Maya became M.I.A.'s highest charting album globally. Its release in the US was delayed by two weeks. The album garnered a generally favourable, although divided, reception from critics.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/mia/maya?q=M.I.A.|title=/\/\/\Y/\ by M.I.A|access-date=5 July 2010|website=Metacritic|archive-date=19 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719004856/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/mia/maya?q=m.i.a.|url-status=dead}} A more internet-inspired album illustrating how a multimedia artist worked within the music industry, elements of industrial music were incorporated into M.I.A.'s sound for the first time, and it was seen as a stylistic shift towards the more experimental.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/2cb6|publisher=BBC|title=M.I.A. /\/\/\Y/\ Review |access-date= 29 June 2010|first=Matthew|last=Bennett}} She described the album in an interview with Dazed & Confused as a mix of "babies, death, destruction and powerlessness".{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/07/mia-google-youtube-wikipedia|title=MIA takes on Google, YouTube and Wikipedia|first=Malik|last=Meer|date=7 August 2010|access-date=23 August 2010|work=The Guardian|location=UK}}{{Cite magazine|magazine=Dazed & Confused|first=Tim|last=Noakes|date=July 2010|issue= 87|page=85|title=Shock to the System}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2010/05/31/album-cover-mia-maya/|title=Album Cover: M.I.A. – '/\/\/\Y/\'|work=Rap-Up|access-date=23 August 2010}}

On 11 May 2010, the first official single from Maya, "XXXO", was released and reached the top forty in Belgium, Spain and the UK.{{cite web|url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=M%2EI%2EA%2E&titel=XXX0&cat=s|title=M.I.A. – XXXO|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=5 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723195545/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=M.I.A.&titel=XXX0&cat=s|archive-date=23 July 2010}}{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20100718/7501/|title=Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive–24th July 2010|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=19 July 2010}} "Steppin' Up", "Teqkilla", and "Tell Me Why" were also released as promotional singles exclusively on iTunes in the days leading to the release of Maya, with "Teqkilla" reaching the top 100 in Canada on digital downloads alone.{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=m.i.a.|chart=all}}|title= M.I.A|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc| access-date=31 July 2010}} (User must click "Launch" to open the Visualizer tool, then select "Canadian Hot 100" from the drop-down menu.)File:Miamayatour2011peaceandlovea.jpg during the Maya Tour, 2011 following the release of her Vicki Leekx mixtape]]The video for "XXXO" was released online in August. M.I.A. hinted in an interview to Blitz that a music video is being made with director Spike Jonze for the single "Teqkilla."{{cite web|url=http://blitz.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=bz.stories/64288|title=Sudoeste TMN: Colbie Caillat com disco novo, M.I.A. filma com Spike Jonze – BLITZ|date=7 August 2010|access-date=9 August 2010|work=Blitz|language=pt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219230356/http://blitz.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=bz.stories%2F64288|archive-date=19 February 2011}} She completed her live tour dates on the Maya Tour in summer of 2011.{{cite web|url=https://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/artes/interior.aspx?content_id=1635264&seccao=M%FAsica |title=Sudoeste atrai os estreantes |first=Davide |last=Pinheiro |date=6 August 2010 |access-date=9 August 2010 |work=Diário de Notícias |language=pt |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20100806185630/http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/artes/interior.aspx?content_id=1635264&seccao=M%FAsica |archive-date=6 August 2010 }}{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_10050000/newsid_10059200/10059288.stm|title=MIA and Tinchy Stryder to play Underage Festival|publisher=BBC|date=8 March 2010|access-date=27 May 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/cgi-bin/ACHATS/acheter.cgi?offre=ARCHIVES&type_item=ART_ARCH_30J&objet_id=1143661|title=Beau succès du rap de MIA à Rennes|date=14 December 2010|access-date=31 December 2010|work=Le Monde|location=France|language=fr}}

From 2000 until 2010, she directed the video for Elastica single "Mad Dog God Dam" and videos for her songs "Bird Flu", "Boyz", "S.U.S. (Save Ur Soul)", "Space" and "XXXO" as well as personally choosing the directors for the videos of her songs "Galang" and "Sunshowers", which she described in 2005 and again in 2011 as being her favourite video experience and favourite video adaptation of a song of hers, in her words {{as of|2011|lc=y}}, "If you watch only one of my videos, please try "Sunshowers", "Jimmy," "Born Free," and "Bad Girls.", a video inspired by YouTube videos of car stunts and photographs, including one of an Arab female trucker, from the Middle East,{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6-sNTOhYnU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/m6-sNTOhYnU |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=YouTube|access-date=22 October 2015}}{{cbignore}} which she described as her second favourite music video.{{cite web|title=Bird Flu – M.I.A|url=http://filmguide.festival.asianamericanmedia.org/tixSYS/2008/filmguide/director.php/detail/?AlphaRange=MM&ShowShorts=Y&ShowPast=Y | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151124084808/http://filmguide.festival.asianamericanmedia.org/tixSYS/2008/filmguide/director.php/detail/?AlphaRange=MM&ShowShorts=Y&ShowPast=Y | url-status= dead | archive-date= 24 November 2015|work=San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival|date=8 July 2007|access-date=19 October 2007}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/videos/mia/159174/boyz.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106053626/http://www.mtv.com/videos/mia/159174/boyz.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 November 2008|title=Boyz / M.I.A. / Music Video|publisher=MTV|access-date=19 February 2009|date=27 June 2007}} She directed a video for Rye Rye's "Bang".{{cite magazine|last=Catucci|first=Nick|url=https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/07/mia-directed_video_a_kaleidosc.html|title=M.I.A.-Directed Video a Kaleidoscopic Kick in the Head|magazine=New York|access-date=7 September 2010|date=1 July 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.interscope.com/artist/player/default.aspx?meid=6017&aid=555|title=M.I.A. :Video : XXXO|publisher=Interscope|date=11 August 2010|access-date=7 September 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127121829/http://interscope.com/artist/player/default.aspx?meid=6017&aid=555|archive-date=27 January 2011}} She judged in the Music Video category at the inaugural Vimeo Festival & Awards in New York in October 2010.{{cite magazine|author=Lipshutz, Jason|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957107/billboard-bits-mia-becomes-a-film-judge-ozzfest-offers-unholy-marriages|title=Billboard Bits: M.I.A. Becomes a Film Judge, OZZFest Offers 'Unholy' Marriages|magazine=Billboard|date=30 July 2010|access-date=12 August 2010}}

M.I.A. released her second mixtape, Vicki Leekx, on 31 December 2010, and followed this with Internet Connection: The Remixes, an EP to a bonus track from Maya in January 2011.{{cite web|author=Arulpragasam, Maya|url=https://twitter.com/_M_I_A_/status/10742266201120769|title=M.I.A|work=Twitter|date=3 December 2010|access-date=18 December 2010}} M.I.A. performed on the song "C.T.F.O." on SebastiAn's album Total. On 21 April 2011, it was reported that M.I.A. had been in the studio with Chris Brown, the Cataracs, Swizz Beatz and Polow da Don.{{cite web|author=Baker, Ernest|title=M.I.A. is Working With Chris Brown, Polow Da Don & Swizz Beatz|work=Complex|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2011/04/mia-working-with-chris-brown-polow-swizz|date=22 April 2011|access-date=2 April 2012}} On 24 July 2011, the day after Amy Winehouse's death, M.I.A. uploaded a previously-unreleased Maya/Vicki Leekx demo titled "27" to her SoundCloud account. The song was released as a tribute to the 27 Club.{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/767922/m-i-a-27/mp3s/|title=M.I.A. – "27"|last=Lapatine|first=Scott|date=24 July 2011|website=Stereogum|access-date=13 November 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://prettymuchamazing.com/stream/new-m-i-a-27|title=New M.I.A. – "27"|last=Koren|first=Daniel|date=25 July 2011|website=Pretty Much Amazing|access-date=13 November 2016}}

M.I.A. co-wrote the song "Give Me All Your Luvin'" with Madonna and Nicki Minaj for the album MDNA and performed it at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. Controversially, instead of singing the lyric "shit" in the song, M.I.A. extended the middle finger to the camera. The NFL responded by filing a lawsuit suing M.I.A. for millions in damages and demanding a public apology from M.I.A.{{cite news|title=M.I.A. Caught In Legal War With NFL Over Super Bowl Middle Finger|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/mia-nfl-legal-war-super-bowl_n_3956895.html|date=19 September 2013|access-date=24 September 2013|work=Huffington Post|first=Matthew|last=Jacobs}} Maya and her legal team also responded by saying that the league's claim of "wholesomeness" in the lawsuit is hypocritical since the NFL itself has had multiple situations of their own players and coaches behaving badly as well as health problems within the league, particularly concussions. In September 2013 Maya released a video statement regarding the lawsuit.{{cite news|title=MIA Releases Video On NFL Suit, Says Young Cheerleaders More Offensive Than Her Middle Finger|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/23/mia-nfl-video_n_3977513.html|date=23 September 2013|access-date=24 September 2013|work=Huffington Post|first=Kia|last=Makarechi}} In her statement Arulpragasam said, "They're basically [saying] it's OK for me to promote being sexually exploited as a female, than to display empowerment, female empowerment, through being punk rock. That's what it boils down to, and I'm being sued for it." The lawsuit was settled in August 2014; the terms of the settlement remain private.{{cite magazine|title=NFL settles lawsuit with singer M.I.A. over Super Bowl middle finger|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=22 August 2014|url=https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/08/22/nfl-settles-lawsuit-mia-middle-finger|access-date=26 September 2015}}

M.I.A. is also featured in "B-Day Song", another song included on MDNA.{{cite magazine|author=Ganz, Caryn|url=https://www.spin.com/2011/11/mia-confirms-shes-working-madonna-and-nicki-minaj/|title=M.I.A. Confirms She's Working With Madonna and Nicki Minaj|date=28 November 2011|magazine=Spin|access-date=17 December 2011}}{{cite news|author=Gardner, Tim|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/02/mia-middle-finger-super-bowl-halftime-show/1|title=M.I.A. flips middle finger during Super Bowl halftime show|date=5 February 2012|access-date=6 February 2012|work=USA Today}}{{cite magazine|author=Frere-Jones, Sasha|magazine=The New Yorker|title=M.I.A. Shouldn't have apologized|url=https://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/02/im-sorry-mia-apologized.html|date=6 February 2012|access-date=15 February 2012}}

The first buzz track of her fourth album, "Bad Girls", taken from her Vicki Leekx mixtape, premiered on 30 January 2012, was released globally the day after, and was followed by a music video directed by Romain Gavras on 3 February 2012. From her 2018 documentary Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., she revealed that she did not know Madonna planned to release the music video for "Give Me All Your Luvin'", about 10 minutes apart on the same day she would release "Bad Girls" (cited from Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. by Steve Loveridge, 2018, at 1:14:49 ). This received nominations for Video of the Year at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards and at the 55th Grammy Awards.{{cite web|author=Dombal, Ryan|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/45258-premiere-mia-bad-girls/|work=Pitchfork|title=Premiere: M.I.A.: "Bad Girls"|date=30 January 2012|access-date=30 January 2012}} The song became one of M.I.A.'s most successful singles, charting in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, United States, Switzerland, South Korea and Belgium. On 29 April 2012 she posted a preview of a new song to YouTube, titled "Come Walk With Me".{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXWs9P6ykHE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/EXWs9P6ykHE |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=M.I.A. "Come Walk With Me"|website=YouTube |date=29 April 2012|access-date=3 May 2012}}{{cbignore}} The full version of Come Walk With Me was shared one and a half year later, in September 2013.[https://pitchfork.com/news/52121-listen-mia-come-walk-with-me/ Listen: M.I.A.: "Come Walk With Me" | News]. Pitchfork (3 September 2013). Retrieved on 28 May 2014.

M.I.A. officially signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation management in May 2012.{{cite web|url=http://rocnation.com/2012/05/mia-joins-the-roc-nation-family/|title=MIA Joins The Roc Nation Family|date=25 May 2012|access-date=3 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628090800/http://rocnation.com/2012/05/mia-joins-the-roc-nation-family/|archive-date=28 June 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2012/05/24/mia-signs-to-roc-nation-management|title=M.I.A. SIGNS TO ROC NATION MANAGEMENT|date=24 May 2012|access-date=25 May 2012}} Rihanna welcomed her to the family, tweeting, "welcome home MIA."Rihanna. (24 May 2012) [https://twitter.com/rihanna/status/205754774245752834] Twitter.com She guested during Jay-Z's set at the Radio 1 Festival in Hackney on 23 June 2012.

In October 2012, M.I.A. released an autobiographical book titled M.I.A. documenting "the five years of M.I.A. art that spans across three LPs: Arular, Kala, and Maya." The book contains artwork as well as a foreword by frequent collaborator Steve Loveridge and various essays by M.I.A. On 3 March 2013, she released an 8-minute mix recording as part of a Kenzo fashion show in Paris.{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/69001|title=MIA previews new album with eight-minute 'Matangi' mix for Kenzo – listen|date=4 March 2013|work=NME|access-date=14 April 2013}}

File:MIA au Zénith de Paris 2014 (18).jpg in 2014|alt=|250x250px]]

Matangi, was recorded across the world with different collaborators. In relation to her previous albums, she described her fourth as "basically all of them together", akin to an anthology.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fweHtun3LY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/0fweHtun3LY |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=M.I.A. "Bad Girls" Comment Response (Official): Noisey Specials #03|work=Noisey|publisher=Vice|date=15 February 2012|access-date=28 February 2012}}{{cbignore}} The album was released on Interscope and M.I.A.'s label N.E.E.T. Recordings.[http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2013_11_matangi.html M.I.A. :: Matangi :: N.E.E.T/Interscope]. Rapreviews.com (5 November 2013). Retrieved on 28 May 2014. Release dates of 31 January 2013{{cite web|author=Murray, Robin|title=M.I.A. Back With New Material|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/news/mia-back-with-new-material|work=Clash|date=25 January 2012|access-date=29 January 2012}} and later, 15 April 2013 were announced, but the album remained unreleased.{{cite web|last=Mlynar|first=Philip|title=Producers So Japan Talk Working With M.I.A. on 'Matangi'|url=http://www.mtvhive.com/2013/05/09/so-japan-mia-matangi/|work=MTV Hive|publisher=Viacom International Inc.|access-date=22 May 2013|date=9 May 2013}} M.I.A. later revealed that the original project for Matangi was not accepted by Interscope, which claimed that the record was "too positive".[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/07/mia-new-album New MIA album 'too positive', says label | Music]. theguardian.com. Retrieved on 28 May 2014. "Bring the Noize", produced by French producer Surkin and Switch,[http://www.factmag.com/2013/06/25/watch-the-arresting-video-for-m-i-a-s-bring-the-noize/ Watch the arresting video for M.I.A.'s 'Bring The Noize' – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music]. Factmag.com (25 June 2013). Retrieved on 4 November 2013. was announced as the second single and was released on 17 June 2013. Soon after the single was released, the official video for "Bring the Noize" premiered on 25 June via Noisey.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130628223723/http://noisey.vice.com/music-video-premieres/mia-bring-the-noize M.I.A. – "Bring The Noize" (Official Video) | Music Video Premieres | Noisey]. Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved on 4 November 2013. On 9 August 2013, the album received an official release date of 5 November 2013 after M.I.A. threatened to leak the album due to the numerous delays by Interscope.[https://pitchfork.com/news/51140-mias-album-matangi-gets-a-release-date/ M.I.A.'s Album Matangi Gets a Release Date | News]. Pitchfork (9 August 2013). Retrieved on 4 November 2013.

Matangi received generally positive reviews from music critics. In its first week of release, the album sold 15,000 copies and peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200, falling to number 90 in its second week.[https://web.archive.org/web/20131113212913/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1717355/eminem-mmlp2-billboard-charts-sales.jhtml Eminem Is A 'Monster' On Charts With MMLP2 Sales]. MTV (13 November 2013). Retrieved on 28 May 2014.

On 31 December 2013, M.I.A. announced that she was leaving Roc Nation.[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/m-i-a-leaves-jay-zs-roc-nation-20140102 MIA Leaves Jay-Z's Roc Nation | News]. Rolling Stone (2 January 2014) Retrieved on 27 January 2015.

On 13 July 2015, M.I.A. released a five-minute video titled "Matahdatah Scroll 01 Broader Than a Border" which features two of her tracks: Matangi{{'}}s "Warrior" and a new track "Swords". The music is sampled from Yo Yo Honey Singh's Manali Trance. The video was filmed in India and West Africa and shows different forms of dancing in those regions.

On 27 November 2015, M.I.A. released "Borders" as her new single on iTunes, prior to that her new single was announced via her Instagram account. Serving as both a rallying cry and a call for compassion, the track mocks first world problems and shares her views on the escalating global refugee crisis.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2615027/mia-borders-video-refugee-crisis/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208194045/http://www.mtv.com/news/2615027/mia-borders-video-refugee-crisis/|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 December 2015|title=M.I.A. Tackles The Refugee Crisis In 'Borders' Video|last=Roth|first=Madeline|date=27 November 2015|website=Official MTV website, MTV.com|access-date=19 September 2016}} The self-directed video that accompanied its release{{cite AV media|people=M.I.A. (Director)|date=17 February 2016|title=BORDERS|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Nw7HbaeWY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/r-Nw7HbaeWY |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date= 19 September 2016|publisher=Vevo|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} shows her joining "those attempting to flee their homes by cramming on boats, wading in the ocean and climbing barbed-wire fences". In January 2016, the French football club Paris Saint-Germain sued M.I.A. for wearing a version of their club's T-shirt in her "Borders" video that changed the words "Fly Emirates" to "Fly Pirates".{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/psg-demands-mia-take-down-borders-music-video-news.19559.html|title=PSG Demands M.I.A. Take Down "Borders" Music Video|last=Lilah|first=Rose|date=11 January 2016|website=HotNewHipHop |access-date=19 September 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/11/paris-saint-germain-is-suing-m-i-a-for-wearing-football-top-in-video-5615309/|title=Paris Saint Germain is suing M.I.A for wearing football top in video|first=Tanveer Mann for|last=Metro.co.uk|date=11 January 2016}}

In late February 2016, she released "Boom ADD", an expanded version of the "Boom Skit", which appeared on M.I.A.'s fourth studio album Matangi; it is a diss-track to the NFL's lawsuit of her performance at the Super Bowl XLVI.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/63764-mia-takes-on-the-nfl-in-boom-add/|title=MIA releases controversial Boom ADD song|last=Gordon|first=Jeremy|date=25 February 2016|website=Pitchfork|access-date=26 February 2016}} On 9 September 2016, she released her fifth studio album AIM to mixed reviews, with "Poc Still A Ryda", a lyrical mix of the songs on the album, preceding the album's release.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPA4hpbB3cE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/HPA4hpbB3cE |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=MIA – POC THAT STILL A RYDA|date=1 June 2016|website=YouTube|access-date=1 June 2016}}{{cbignore}} On 8 February 2017, she released a new song, along with a music video, entitled "P.O.W.A", a previously unreleased song from her recording sessions for AIM.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7685059/mia-powa-madonna-ariana-mariah-rihanna|title=M.I.A. Name-Drops Rihanna, Madonna, Mariah and Ariana on New Single 'Powa'|magazine=Billboard|date=8 February 2017|access-date=9 February 2017|author=Brandle, Lars}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thefader.com/2017/02/08/mia-powa-video|title=M.I.A. Returns With A New Video For "P.O.W.A."|magazine=The Fader|date=8 February 2017|access-date=9 February 2017|author=Dandridge-Lemco, Ben}}

In 2018, Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. was released, a 90-minute documentary film chronicling M.I.A.'s rise to fame and political activism surrounding the Sri Lankan Civil War.{{cite web |title=matangi-maya-m-i-a |url=http://www.sundance.org/projects/matangi-maya-m-i-a#/ |website=www.sundance.org |publisher=Sundance Film Festival |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620235505/http://www.sundance.org/projects/matangi-maya-m-i-a#/ |url-status=dead }} Directed and produced by Steve Loveridge, the film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and later saw a wide release in select theatres in the U.K. and the U.S. in September 2018.{{cite news |last1=Dhaly |first1=Rian |title=M.I.A. shares first look at poster and release date for 'Matangi / Maya / M.I.A' documentary – NME |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/m-shares-first-look-poster-release-date-matangi-maya-m-documentary-2341601 |access-date=20 June 2018 |work=NME |date=20 June 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Bulut |first1=Selim |title=M.I.A. announces release of MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. documentary |url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/40430/1/m-i-a-announces-release-of-matangi-maya-m-i-a-documentary |access-date=20 June 2018 |work=Dazed Digital |date=20 June 2018}} The film won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance.{{cite news |title=2018 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED |url=https://www.sundance.org/blogs/news/2018-film-festival-awards#/ |access-date=21 June 2018 |publisher=Sundance Film Festival |date=27 January 2018}} Following the film's release on digital platforms in December 2018, M.I.A. premiered the official music video for "Reload", a previously-unreleased song originally written with Justine Frischmann in 2004 for Arular, which appears on the film's soundtrack.{{cite news |last1=Minsker |first1=Evan |last2=Blais-Billie |first2=Braudie |last3=Alston |first3=Trey |title=M.I.A. Shares New Video for Unreleased Song "Reload": Watch |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mia-shares-new-video-for-unreleased-song-reload-watch/ |access-date=17 December 2018 |website=Pitchfork|date=14 December 2018}}

File:LordePrimavera100622 (57 of 69) (52189278549) (cropped).jpg]]

On 31 January 2020, M.I.A launched a Patreon page to fund new music, saying that her new album is "nearly finished".{{cite web|url=https://crackmagazine.net/2020/01/m-i-a-says-her-next-album-is-nearly-finished/|title=M.I.A. says her next album is "nearly finished"|last=Yeung|first=Vivian|date=31 January 2020|access-date=4 March 2021}}

On 22 March 2020, M.I.A. released "OHMNI 202091", her first song in three years, and suggested that a new record would arrive the same year.{{cite news|last1=Lavin|first1=Will|url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/mia-shares-ohmni-202091-first-new-song-in-three-years-2633361|title=M.I.A. releases 'OHMNI 202091', her first new song in three years|date=23 March 2020|work=NME|access-date=23 March 2020}} On 9 September, she shared a standalone song titled "CTRL" on her website.{{cite news|last1=Skinner|first1=Tom|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/m-i-a-new-track-ctrl-listen-2749170|title=Listen to M.I.A.'s thumping new track 'CTRL'|date=9 September 2020|work=NME|access-date=22 July 2021}} She was featured alongside Young Thug on the single "Franchise" by rapper Travis Scott, which was released on 25 September 2020.{{Cite web|last=Zidel|first=Alex|title=Travis Scott "Franchise" Single Features Young Thug & M.I.A|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/travis-scott-franchise-single-features-young-thug-and-mia-news.118387.html|date=24 September 2020|access-date=24 September 2020|website=HotNewHipHop}} The song debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, earning M.I.A. her first number-one single on the chart.{{cite news|last1=Strauss|first1=Matthew|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mia-scores-first-no-1-song-with-travis-scott-franchise/|title=M.I.A. Scores First No. 1 Song With Travis Scott's "FRANCHISE"|date=5 October 2020|work=Pitchfork|access-date=23 July 2021}}

On 1 November 2021, M.I.A. announced in an Instagram post that her sixth album is called Mata. As to the concept of the album, she described it as a way "to reflect who I am, what we want to build."{{cite web |url=https://hiphopmill.com/2021/11/m-i-a-announces-mata-her-first-album-in-five-years/ |title=M.I.A. Announces 'Mata,' Her First Album In Five Years |publisher=HipHopMill |date=1 November 2021 |access-date=1 November 2021 |archive-date=1 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101095119/https://hiphopmill.com/2021/11/m-i-a-announces-mata-her-first-album-in-five-years/ |url-status=dead }}

M.I.A. released a single titled "Babylon" on Friday, 12 November. The single was released alongside the rappers 2010 mixtape Vicki Leekx, sold as NFTs to raise money for the Courage Foundation.{{Cite web |date=5 April 2021 |title=M.I.A Announces 24-Hour NFT Auction |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/m-i-a/mia-announces-24-hour-nft-auction/ |access-date=12 August 2022 |website=pastemagazine.com |language=en}} An accompanying music video was released on her website ohmni.com and features video footage of Arulpragasam earlier in her life.{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2021/11/m-i-a-new-song-babylon/ |title=M.I.A. Announces New Song "Babylon" |publisher=Consequence of Sound |date=11 November 2021}}

On 26 May 2022, M.I.A. shared the lead single from Mata on The Zane Lowe Show, titled "The One".{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mia-reveals-new-album-title-shares-new-song-the-one-listen/ |title=M.I.A. Reveals New Album Title, Shares New Song "The One": Listen |last1=Hussey |first1=Allison |last2=Strauss |first2=Matthew |date=26 May 2022 |website=Pitchfork |publisher= |access-date=28 May 2022 |quote=}} The second single from the album, "Popular", was released on 12 August 2022 along with its official music video. Mata was released on 14 October 2022.

In December 2023 the mixtape Bells Collection appeared.{{Cite web |last=Bloom |first=Madison |date=2023-12-25 |title=M.I.A. Shares New Bells Collection Mixtape |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mia-shares-new-bells-collection-mixtape-listen/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} A single, "Armour" was released in January 2025.{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=2025-01-13 |title=M.I.A. Shares New Single 'ARMOUR' {{!}} News |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/m-i-a-shares-new-single-armour/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=Clash Magazine |language=en-GB}}

{{listen

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M.I.A.'s music features styles such as electro, reggae, rhythm and blues, alternative rock, hip hop, grime, rap ballads and Asian folk and references to her musical influences such as Missy Elliott, Tamil film music, Lou Reed, the Pixies, Timbaland, Beastie Boys, and London Posse.{{Cite book|last1=Meyers|first1=Michael|last2=Emig|first2=Rainer|year=2009|title=Word & image in colonial and postcolonial literatures and cultures|chapter=Missing in Act(i)on: Asian British Pop music between resistance and commercialization|publisher=Rodopi|pages=261–273|isbn=978-90-420-2743-5}}{{cite web|last=Cartwright|first=Garth|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/a4wm2006/a4wm_mia.shtml|title=MIA – Awards for World Music–2006|year=2006|publisher=BBC|access-date=1 October 2008}} She was a childhood fan of Boney M, composer A. R. Rahman and pop artists Michael Jackson and Madonna,{{Cite news|last=Shapiro|first=Peter|title=Talking about her revolution|work=The Times|location=UK|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14932-1658366,00.html|date=17 June 2005|access-date=30 September 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} also she has cited Björk as an inspiration and has been influenced by The Slits, Public Enemy, Malcolm McLaren and The Clash.{{cite web|author=Inoue, Todd|title=Rebel Girl: The daughter of a Tamil freedom fighter, M.I.A. is here to save us all|url=http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/magazine/issue-6-makeover/rebel-girl|work=Hyphen|access-date=30 December 2011|date=May 2005}} Noting her early inspirations, she said "When I would go to bed, I'd listen to the radio and dream about dancing and Paula Abdul and Whitney Houston, and that's how I fell asleep. When my radio was burgled, I started listening to hip hop". She has revealed her ideal karaoke song would be "Germ-Free Adolescents" by X-Ray Spex.{{Cite episode|credits=Stroumboulopoulos, George (Interviewer), M.I.A. (Interviewee)|title=M.I.A.|series=The Hour|network=CBC Television|medium=TV-Series|location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada|minutes=9:04|air-date=15 January 2011}} M.I.A. describes her music as dance music or club music for the "other", and has been described as an "anti-popstar" for refusing to conform to certain recording industry expectations of solo artists. M.I.A.'s early compositions relied heavily on the Roland MC-505, while later M.I.A. experimented further with her established sound and drew from a range of genres, creating layered textures of instruments, electronics and sounds outside the traditional studio environment.

Jimmy Iovine, the chairman of M.I.A.'s American distribution label Interscope, compares M.I.A. to Reed and punk rock songwriter Patti Smith, and recalled, "She's gonna do what she's gonna do, I can't tell her shit."{{Cite news|author=Yates, Steve|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/sep/16/urban|title=New world order|work=The Observer|location=UK|publisher=Guardian Media Group|date=16 September 2007|access-date=13 August 2010}} "The really left-of-center artists, you really wonder about them. Can the world catch up? Can the culture meet them in the middle? That's what the adventure is. It doesn't always happen, but it should and it could."{{Cite news|author=Sisario, Ben|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/arts/music/19sisa.html|title=An Itinerant Refugee in a Hip-Hop World|work=The New York Times|date=19 August 2007|access-date=13 August 2010}} Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings, states, "You've got to bend culture around to suit you, and I think M.I.A has done that" adding that M.I.A.'s composition and production skills were a major attraction for him.{{cite web|url=http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/2008/September14_18_17_55.html|title=A&R, Record Label / Company, Music Publishing, Artist Manager and Music Industry Directory|publisher=HitQuarters|date=1 September 2008|access-date=12 August 2010}}{{Cite news|last=de Wilde|first=Gervase|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/7918644/Richard-Russell-of-XL-Recordings-interview.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/7918644/Richard-Russell-of-XL-Recordings-interview.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Richard Russell of XL Recordings interview|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=UK|date=30 July 2010|access-date=12 August 2010}}{{cbignore}} As a vocalist, M.I.A. is recognisable by her distinctive whooping, chanting voice, which has been described as having an "indelible, nursery-rhyme swing." She has adopted different singing styles on her songs, from aggressive raps, to semi-spoken and melodic vocals. She has said of the sometimes "unaffected" vocals and delivery of her lyrics, "It is what it is. Most people would just put it down to me being lazy. But at the same time, I don't want [that perfection]," saying some of the "raw and difficult" vocal styles she used reflected what was happening to her during recording.

Critic Sasha Frere-Jones, writing for The New Yorker in 2010, praised the self-made "unpretentious, stuck together with Scotch tape" style that M.I.A. achieves with her Roland MC-505 drum machine and keyboard unit, noting that several artists had tried to emulate the style since.{{cite web|author=Shteyngart, Gary|title=She Might Get Loud: M.I.A|url=https://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201007/mia-profile|work=GQ|date=July 2010|access-date=15 September 2010|archive-date=26 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626111547/http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201007/mia-profile|url-status=dead}} Her considerable influence on American hip hop music as an international artist is described by Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois in The Anthology of Rap as making her an "unlikely" hip hop celebrity, given that the genre was one of several influences behind M.I.A.'s "eccentric and energizing" music and that the musician's unclassifiable sound was one example of how hip hop was changing as it came into contact with other cultures.{{cite book|author1=Adam Bradley|author2=Andrew DuBois|title=The Anthology of Rap|year=2010|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-14190-0|url=https://archive.org/details/anthologyofrap00brad}} Similarly, Jeffrey H. Wallenfeldt writes in The Black Experience in America : From Civil Rights to the Present that no single artist may have personified hip hop in the 21st century better than M.I.A., in her "politically radical lyrics drawing from widely diverse sources around the world".{{cite book|author=Jeffrey H Wallenfeldt|year=2011|title=The Black Experience in America : From Civil Rights to the Present|publisher=New York : Britannica Educational Pub., in association with Rosen Educational Services|edition=1|isbn=978-1-61530-177-5}}

The Guardian critic Hattie Collins commented of M.I.A.'s influence: "A new raver before it was old. A baile funk/pop pioneer before CSS and Bonde do Rolê emerged. A quirky female singer/rapper before the Mini Allens had worked out how to log on to MySpace. Missing In Action (or Acton, as she sometimes calls herself) has always been several miles ahead of the pack."{{Cite news|author=Collins, Hattie|date=18 August 2007|title=Hattie Collins meets rapper MIA|work=The Guardian|location=UK|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/aug/18/urban.mia|access-date=12 August 2010}} The twisting of western modalities in her music style using multilingual, multiethnic soundscapes to make electroclash-pop albums is noted by Derek Beres in Global beat fusion: the history of the future of music (2005) to defy world music categorisation.{{cite book|author=Beres, Derek|year=2005|title=Global beat fusion: the history of the future of music|isbn=978-0-595-34899-2|publisher=Lincoln, Neb. : iUniverse|oclc=62334812|pages=20–21, 194}} In the book Downloading Music (2007), Linda Aksomitis notes the various aspects of peer-to-peer file sharing of music in the rise in popularity of M.I.A., including the advantages and disadvantages of the internet and platforms such as MySpace in the launch of her career.{{cite book|author=Aksomitis, Linda|title=Downloading Music|year=2007|publisher=Greenhaven Press|isbn=978-0-7377-3646-5|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/downloadingmusic0000unse}} Andy Bennett and Jon Stratton explore in Britpop and the English Music Tradition (2010) how M.I.A. alongside musicians such as Sway and Dizzee Rascal created music that both explored new soundscapes and commented on social issues as well. Bennett and Stratton argue that the innovation that generates new musical genres such as grime and dubstep are, inevitably, political in nature. The success of grime-influenced artists such as M.I.A. is analyzed as a way in which white Britons adapted to the increasingly multicultural musical mix, which they compare with bands of the Britpop genre.{{cite book|author1=Andy Bennett|author2=Jon Stratton|title=Britpop and the English Music Tradition|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2010|isbn=978-0-7546-6805-3|oclc=663973447|pages=6–7}} Furthermore, her work being used as a global resource for the articulation of differently located themes and its connections to many music traditions is noted by Brian Longhurst in Popular music and society (2007) to illustrate such processes of interracial dialogue.{{cite book|author=Longhurst, Brian|title=Popular music and society|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7456-3162-2|page=146|oclc=237190093|publisher=Cambridge, UK Polity Press}} Gary Shteyngart writing in GQ notes that "M.I.A. is perhaps the preeminent global musical artist of the 2000s, a truly kick-ass singer and New York-Londony fashion icon, not to mention a vocal supporter of Sri Lanka's embattled Tamil minority, of which she's a member."

M.I.A.'s stage performances are described as "highly energetic" and multimedia showcases, often with scenes of what Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield describes as "jovial chaos, with dancers and toasters and random characters roaming the stage," bringing various crowds with interests in art, music and fashion.{{cite magazine|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rob-sheffield/blogs/Sheffield_May2010/122272/79703 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100701222906/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rob-sheffield/blogs/Sheffield_May2010/122272/79703 |url-status= dead |archive-date= 1 July 2010 |title=M.I.A.: Invasion of the Bona Fide Art Hustlers|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=28 June 2010|access-date=12 August 2010}} Camille Dodero, writing in The Village Voice opined that M.I.A. "works hard to manifest the chaos of her music in an actual environment, and, more than that, to actively create discomfort, energy, and anger through sensory overload."{{cite web|last=Dodero|first=Camille|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2007/10/cmj_this_is_ano.php?page=2|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712235626/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2007/10/cmj_this_is_ano.php?page=2|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 July 2012|title=CMJ: This is Another Piece About M.I.A. at Terminal 5–New York Music – Sound of the City|work=The Village Voice|date=22 October 2007|access-date=12 August 2010}} Her role as an artist in and voice lender to the subaltern is appreciated by theorists as having brought such ideas to first world view.{{Cite journal|last=Kapadia-Bodi|first=Melissa|url=http://www.melissakapadiabodi.com/MKBRereadingintheSubaltern.pdf|title=Rereading in the Subaltern: Language, Politics, Power|journal=Graduate School of Education|publisher=University of Pennsylvania|year=2008|access-date=12 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714070700/http://www.melissakapadiabodi.com/MKBRereadingintheSubaltern.pdf |archive-date=14 July 2011}}{{Cite news|author=Powers, Ann|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/04/mia-makes-her-stance-utterly-clear-with-born-free-video-1.html|title=M.I.A. makes her stance utterly clear with 'Born Free' video|work=Los Angeles Times|date=27 April 2010|access-date=12 August 2010}}{{Cite conference|last1=Durham|first1=Meenakshi G.|url=http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/9/9/2/0/pages299202/p299202-1.php|title=M.I.A.: A Production Analysis of Musical Subversion|date=20 May 2009|publisher=International Communication Association|place=Marriott, Chicago, Illinois|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409210847/http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/9/9/2/0/pages299202/p299202-1.php|archive-date=9 April 2019|url-status=live}} USA Today included her on its list of the 100 Most Interesting People of 2007 and she was named one of Time Out{{'}}s 40th Birthday London Heroes in 2008. The same year, Esquire listed M.I.A. as one of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st century, describing her as the first and only major artist in world music, and in 2009 she was cited in Time magazine's Time 100 as one of the world's most influential people for her global influence across many genres.{{Cite magazine|url= http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1893836_1894427,00.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090503142329/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1893836_1894427,00.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= 3 May 2009|title=M.I.A. – The 2009 Time 100|magazine=TIME|date=30 April 2009|access-date=23 August 2010}}{{cite web|title=The 75 Most Influential People of the 21st century|url=http://www.esquire.com/features/most-influential-21st-century-1008#ixzz13JBYXnGT|work=Esquire |date= 16 September 2008|access-date=24 October 2010}}{{Cite journal|author=Matheson, Whitney|title=My top 100 people of 2007|journal=USA Today|issn=0734-7456|oclc=34155524|date=20 December 2007}} In December 2010, USA Today listed M.I.A. at number 63 on its list of the "100 People of 2010".{{cite news|title=Pop Candy's 100 People of 2010: Nos. 50–74 |work=USA Today|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2010/12/pop-candys-100-people-of-2010-nos-50-74-1/1 |date=14 December 2010|access-date=14 December 2010}} M.I.A. placed number 14 on Rolling Stone{{'}}s Decade-End Readers' Poll of "Top Artists Of The Decade."{{cite web|author=Kaufman, Gil|title=Green Day Named Top Artists Of The Decade By Rolling Stone Readers|work=MTV|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1627912/green-day-named-top-artists-decade-by-rolling-stone-readers.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116031734/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1627912/green-day-named-top-artists-decade-by-rolling-stone-readers.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 January 2011 |date=9 December 2009|access-date=14 December 2010}} Rolling Stone named her one of eight artists who defined the 2000s decade.{{cite magazine|title=The 2000s – Best of the Decade: The New Issue of Rolling Stone|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-2000s-best-of-the-decade-the-new-issue-of-rolling-stone-20091209#ixzz1gafnk7M7 |magazine=Rolling Stone|date=9 December 2009|access-date=14 December 2011}}

M.I.A. has become known for integrating her imagery of political violence with her music videos and her cover art. Her politically inspired art became recognised while she exhibited and published several of her brightly coloured stencils and paintings portraying the tiger, a symbol of Tamil nationalism, ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and urban Britain in the early 2000s. Lyrics on Arular regarding her experiences of identity politics, poverty, revolution, gender and sexual stereotypes, war, and the conditions of working class in London were hailed as new and unorthodox, setting her apart from previous artists. The album references the PLO and the Tamil independence movements and features culture jamming, multi-lingual slang, strident and subtle imagery. Her albums' social commentary and storytelling have incited debate on the "invigoratingly complex" politics of the issues she highlighted in the album, breaking taboos while the US Military was engaged in the 2003 Iraq War in the Middle East during the Bush administration.{{Cite news|author=Lynskey, Dorian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/apr/22/popandrock1|title=Fighting talk|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=22 April 2005|access-date=12 August 2010}}{{Cite magazine|date=August 2007|title=M.I.A. Goes Global|magazine=Rolling Stone}} Government visits to her official website following her debut album's release in 2005, and a US refusal to grant M.I.A. a travel visa coupled with her brief presence on the US Homeland Security Risk List in 2006 due to her politically charged lyrics led to her second album Kala being recorded in a variety of locations around the world.{{Cite episode|credits=Stroumboulopoulos, George (Interviewer), M.I.A. (Interviewee)|title=M.I.A.|series=The Hour|network=CBC Television|medium=TV-Series|location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada|minutes=9:04|air-date=11 October 2007}}{{cite web|title=M.I.A. doesn't need a visa, just inspiration|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/m-i-doesn-t-need-visa-just-inspiration-wbna20379484|publisher=NBC Universal/Microsoft|access-date=4 February 2009|date=21 August 2007}} The American Civil Liberties Union described the actions as part of a trend of ideological exclusion by the state which was detrimental to democracy by "censoring and manipulating debate".{{cite web|author=ACLU|url=https://www.aclu.org/national-security/us-government-increasingly-blocking-entry-border-because-ideology-aclu-says|title=U.S. Government Increasingly Blocking Entry at the Border Because of Ideology, ACLU Says|date=12 July 2006|work=ACLU|access-date=14 April 2012}}{{cite web|author=Suzanne Ito|url=https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/dont-exclude-ideas-border|date=28 May 2009|title=Don't Exclude Ideas at the Border|work=ACLU|access-date=14 April 2012}} In October 2016, she revealed on her Instagram that she had finally been approved for a US visa.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thefader.com/2016/10/12/mia-us-visa-aim-tour|title=M.I.A. Has Been Approved For A U.S. Visa|magazine=The Fader|date=12 October 2016|access-date=13 October 2016|author=Dandridge-Lemco, Ben}}{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/68957-mia-finally-has-us-visa-approved/|title=M.I.A. Finally Has U.S. Visa Approved|website=Pitchfork|date=12 October 2016|access-date=13 October 2016}}

File:AfrikanBoyMIA.jpg, an afrobeats and grime London MC with Nigerian roots supporting M.I.A. at the Rock en Seine Festival, 2007]]

On Kala, M.I.A.'s songs explored immigration politics and her personal relationships. Many related her experiences during recording sessions in Madras, Angola, Trinidad shantytowns, Liberia and London, and were acclaimed. The album's artwork was inspired by African art, "from dictator fashion to old stickers on the back of cars", which like her clothing range, she hoped would capture "a 3-D sense, the shapes, the prints, the sound, film, technology, politics, economics" of a certain time.{{cite web|title=MIA Talks Fashion|url=http://www.thefader.com/2008/10/24/stylee-fridays-mia-talks-fashion/|work=The Fader|date=24 October 2008|access-date=24 April 2010}} I-D magazine described the "bleeding cacophony of graphics" on her website during this time as evoking the "noisy amateurism" of the early web, but also embodying a rejection of today's "glossy, professional site design" which was felt to "efface the medium rather than celebrate it."{{cite web|author=Ashlock, Jesse|title=Trend:Back to the Future|work=I-D|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601094430/http://www.id-mag.com/article/BacktotheFuture/|archive-date=1 June 2008|url=http://www.id-mag.com/article/BacktotheFuture/|date=6 February 2008|access-date=9 October 2010}} Jeff Chang, writing for The Nation, described a "Kala for the Nation" and the album's music, lyrics and imagery as encompassing "everywhere—or, to be specific, everywhere but the First World's self-regarding 'here'", stating that against a media flow that suppresses the "ugliness" of reality and fixes beauty to consumption, M.I.A. forces a conversation about how the majority live, closing the distance "between 'here' and everywhere else". He felt that Kala explored poverty, violence and globalisation through the eyes of "children left behind."{{cite journal|author=Chang, Jeff|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/news-nowhere?page=0,0|journal=The Nation|title=M.I.A. – News from Nowhere|date=1 November 2007|access-date=19 October 2010|archive-date=12 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012172358/http://www.thenation.com/article/news-nowhere?page=0,0|url-status=dead}}

Her third album, Maya, tackled information politics in the digital age, loaded with technological references and love songs, and deemed by Kitty Empire writing in The Observer to be her most melancholic and mainstream effort.{{Cite news|last=Empire|first=Kitty|date=11 July 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/11/mia-maya-album-review|title=MIA: /\/\ /\ Y /\ | CD review | Music|work=The Observer|location=UK|access-date=13 July 2010}} Her genocide-depicting 2010 video for the single "Born Free" was deemed by Ann Powers writing in the Los Angeles Times to be "concentrating fully" on the physical horror of gun butts and bullets hitting flesh, with the scenes giving added poignancy to the lyrical themes of the song. Interpreted as a comment on the Arizona immigration law, America's military might and desensitised attitudes towards violence, others found that the video stressed that genocide still exists and violent repression remains commonplace.{{cite news|author=Douglas Haddow|date=1 May 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/01/mia-video-real-controversy|title=The real controversy of MIA's video|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=31 July 2010}} Some critics described the film as "sensationalist". Neda Ulaby of NPR described the video as intended for "shock value" in the service of nudging people into considering real issues that can be hard to talk about.{{Cite news|author=MTV Newsroom|url=http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/06/22/mia-born-free-controversy/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713004817/http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/06/22/mia-born-free-controversy/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2012|publisher=MTV|title=M.I.A. Learned From The 'Born Free' Controversy'|date=22 June 2010|access-date=1 November 2010}}{{Cite news|author=Cochrane, Lauren|title=Romain Gavras: Born Free director is no stranger to Stress|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/25/romain-gavras-born-free|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=25 September 2010|access-date=7 October 2010}}{{cite web|author=Ulaby, Neda|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127239101|title=From Elvis To Lady Gaga: Playing With Shock Value In Music|website = NPR.org| date=28 May 2010 |publisher=NPR|access-date=12 August 2010}} M.I.A. revealed that she felt "disconnected" during the writing process, and spoke of the Internet inspiration and themes of information politics that could be found in the songs and the artwork.{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2010/05/17/mia-pukes-out-schizophrenic-album-plots-fall-tour/|title=M.I.A. pukes out 'schizophrenic' album, plots fall tour|work=Rap-Up|access-date=24 May 2010}}{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_10080000/newsid_10087800/10087809.stm|title=M.I.A video 'removed by YouTube'|publisher=BBC|date=27 April 2010|access-date=27 May 2010}}

M.I.A. views her work as reflective, pieced together in one piece "so you can acquire it and hear it." She states, "All that information floats around where we are—the images, the opinions, the discussions, the feelings—they all exist, and I felt someone had to do something about it because I can't live in this world where we pretend nothing really matters." On the political nature of her songs she has said, "Nobody wants to be dancing to political songs. Every bit of music out there that's making it into the mainstream is really about nothing. I wanted to see if I could write songs about something important and make it sound like nothing. And it kind of worked."{{cite web|url=http://niralimagazine.com/2004/10/not-so-missing-in-action/|title=Not-so Missing in Action|work=Nirali Magazine|date=4 October 2004|access-date=17 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513082654/http://niralimagazine.com/2004/10/not-so-missing-in-action/|archive-date=13 May 2008}} Censorship on MTV of "Sunshowers" proved controversial and was again criticised following the Kala release "Paper Planes".{{cite web|author=Breihan, Tom|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/statusainthood/archives/2007/12/mia_and_the_dou.php|title=M.I.A. and the Double Standard of MTV Censorship|work=The Village Voice|date=18 December 2007|access-date=23 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414133223/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/statusainthood/archives/2007/12/mia_and_the_dou.php|archive-date=14 April 2010}} YouTube's block and subsequent age gating/obscuring of the video for "Born Free" from Maya due to its graphic violence/political subtext was criticised by M.I.A. as hypocritical, citing the Internet channel's streaming of real-life killings.{{cite web|author=Montgomery, James|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1637991/mias-born-free-video-obscured-by-youtube.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629145127/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1637991/mias-born-free-video-obscured-by-youtube.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2011|title=M.I.A.'s 'Born Free' Video Obscured By YouTube|publisher=MTV|date=30 April 2010|access-date=14 February 2011}} She went on to state,

"It's just fake blood and ketchup and people are more offended by that than the execution videos", referring to clips of Sri Lankan troops extrajudicially shooting unarmed, blindfolded, naked men that she had previously tweeted. Despite the block, the video remained on her website and Vimeo, and has been viewed 30 million times on the internet. Lisa Weems writes in the book Postcolonial challenges in education how M.I.A. pointed out in her music how immigrants, refugees and persons of the third world can and do resist through economic, political and cultural discursive practices.{{cite book|author=Weems, Lisa|isbn=978-1-4331-0650-7|year=2011|title=Postcolonial challenges in education|publisher=New York : Peter Lang}} In light of her influence in modern culture and the historical and political significance embedded in both the instrumental music and lyrics of her songs, J. Gentry of Brown University instructs a course from summer 2012 titled "Music & Politics: From Mozart to M.I.A.", with the objective of academically exploring and examining the political messages and contexts of music and the way "music has consistently participated in and reflected the political debates of its time".{{cite web|author=Gentry, J.|url=http://brown.edu/ce/pre-college/catalog/course.php?id=176|title=Music & Politics: From Mozart to M.I.A.|work=Brown University|access-date=17 January 2012|archive-date=4 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204031138/http://www.brown.edu/ce/pre-college/catalog/course.php?id=176|url-status=dead}}

File:MIA Bonnaroo 2008.jpg]]

M.I.A. cites guerrilla art and fashion as major influences. Her mother works as a seamstress in London. An early interest in fashion and textiles–designing confections of "bright fluorescent fishnet fabrics"—was a hallmark of her time at Central Saint Martins College. M.I.A. was a roommate of fashion designer Luella Bartley and is a long-time friend of designer Carri Mundane.{{cite web|title=Luella Bartley & M.I.A|work=Nirali Magazine|url=http://niralimagazine.com/2006/08/luella-bartley-mia/|date=11 August 2006|access-date=19 December 2006|archive-date=14 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014051313/http://niralimagazine.com/2006/08/luella-bartley-mia/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite magazine|author=Emmanuel 'BoyWonder' Ezugwu|title=Head2head: Afrikanboy Vs Cassette Playa|url=http://www.rwdmag.com/articles/6794/Head2head-Afrikanboy-Vs-Cassette-Playa.html|magazine=Rewind Magazine|access-date=23 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330063018/http://www.rwdmag.com/articles/6794/Head2head-Afrikanboy-Vs-Cassette-Playa.html|archive-date=30 March 2008}} Clothes from her limited-edition "Okley Run" line—Mexican and Afrika line jackets and leggings, Islamic-inspired and water melon-print hoodies, and tour-inspired designs–were sold in 2008 during New York fashion week.{{cite web|title=The FADER – Style: MIA's New Fashion Label|work=The Fader|url=http://www.thefader.com/articles/2008/7/15/style-mia-s-new-fashion-label|date=15 July 2008|access-date=11 September 2008}} She commented, "I wanted to tie all my work together. When I make an album, I make a number of artworks that go with it, and now I make some clothes that go with it too. So this Okley run was an extension of my Kala album and artwork."{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2008/10/24/stylee-fridays-mia-talks-fashion/#ixzz0wDOif9Fa|title=Stylee Fridays: MIA Talks Fashion " The FADER|work=The Fader|access-date=12 August 2010}} Spin described her designs as "1000 watt Malcolm McLaren-meets-Basquiat", that complimented her personal style that could "run from futurist aerobic instructor to new wave pirate to queenly candy raver".

Contrary to her present style, M.I.A.'s Arular era style has been described as "tattered hand me downs and patched T-shirts of indigents", embodying the "uniform of the refugee" but modified with cuts, alterations and colours to fashion a distinctly new style and apparel line.{{Cite journal|last=Ariyam|first=Derick Kirishan|year=2010|title=Imagining Sri Lanka : Expatriated "Revisions" of the Nation|url=http://digitalcommons.ric.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=etd|journal=Master's Theses, Dissertations and Graduate Research Overview|publisher=Rhode Island College|volume=35|access-date=24 August 2010}} M.I.A. built on this during the Kala era with a "playful" combination of baggy T-shirts, leggings and short-shorts. She incorporated eccentric accessories in bold patterns, sparkle and "over-saturated" neon colour to fashion her signature style which inspired flocks of "garishly-clothed all-too-sassy" new-rave girls with bright red tights, cheetah-skin smock and faded 1980s T- shirts. Her commodifying and performance of this refugee image has been noted to "reposition" perceptions of it in the wider public. Hailed as presenting a challenge to the mainstream with her ironic style, M.I.A. has been praised for dictating such a subcultural trend worldwide, combining "adolescent" frustrations of race and class with a strong desire to dance.{{Cite journal|last=Mangino|first=Gabriella Marie|title="To Congo, To Colombo, can't stereotype my thing yo:" M.I.A.'s Politics of Difference|year=2008|journal=Arts and Sciences Honors Theses|series=The Ohio State University. Department of Comparative Studies Honors Theses; 2008|publisher=Ohio State University|url=https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/32186/1/To_Congo_to_Columbo_Cant_Stereotype_my_thing_yo_final.pdf|access-date=24 August 2010|id=http://hdl.handle.net/1811/32186}} Eddy Lawrence of Time Out commented how her multi genre style contributed to her being beloved of the broadsheet fashionistas yet simultaneously patron saint and pin-up for the Day-Glo nu-rave kids.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/music/features/3361/MIA-interview.html|title=MIA: interview|publisher=Timeout.com|access-date=13 December 2011|archive-date=24 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024195604/http://www.timeout.com/london/music/features/3361/MIA-interview.html|url-status=dead}} Similarly, Mary Beth Ray, in the book Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture writes that M.I.A.'s hybrid style addressed a number of social and political issues including power, violence, identity and survival in a globalised world, while using avenues that challenged "traditional" definitions of what it meant to be a contemporary pop artist.{{cite book|author=Beth Ray, Mary|title=Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture|page=242|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-4634-7|oclc=664667183|year=2011}}

M.I.A. was once denied entry into a Marc Jacobs party, but subsequently DJed at the designer's 2008 fashion show afterparty, and modelled for "Marc by Marc Jacobs" in Spring/Summer 2008.{{cite web|title=The Dark Side of the Marc Jacobs Show and After-Party|url=https://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/02/we_explore_the_dark_side_of_th.html|work=New York|date=2 September 2010|access-date=11 September 2010}} M.I.A.'s fashion and style landed her on Vogue's 10 Best Dressed of 2008.{{Cite journal|title=M.I.A. Retro Edge|page=70|journal=Vogue|date=January 2009}} She turned down her inclusion on People magazine's list of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" the same year.{{cite web|title=Acclaimed rapper's ego is thankfully M.I.A|url=http://www.canada.com/cityguides/calgary/story.html?id=041db915-49ab-49fa-a9b9-b9ecb996e547|work=The Calgary Herald|date=27 May 2008|access-date=12 October 2010}} M.I.A.'s status as a style icon, trendsetter and trailblazer is globally affirmed, with her distinct identity, style, and music illuminating social issues of gender, the third world, and popular music.{{cite web|author=Lee, Jennie|url=http://www.nylonmag.com/?parid=598§ion=article|title=private icon: m.i.a.|work=Nylon|date=25 October 2007|access-date=22 November 2011}} Critics point out that such facets of her public persona underline the importance of authenticity, challenging the globalised popular music market, and demonstrating music's strive to be political. Her albums have been met with acclaim, often heralded as "eclectic" for possessing a genre all their own, "packaging inherent politics in the form of pleasurable dance music." M.I.A.'s artistic efforts to connect this "extreme eclecticism" with issues of exile, war, violence and terrorism are both commended and criticised. Commentators laud M.I.A.'s use and subversion of her refugee and migrant experiences, through the weaving of musical creativity, artwork and fashion with her personal life as having dispelled stereotypical notions of the immigrant experience. This gives her a unique place in popular music, while demanding new responses within popular music, media and fashion culture. M.I.A. has been the muse of designers Donatella Versace and Bartley and photographers Rankin and David Bailey, whose spread documents the British musicians who defined the sound and style of rock 'n' roll.{{cite web|author=Gaby Wilson|title='W' Unites Fashion And Music With Janelle + Chanel, M.I.A. + Versace, And More|url=http://style.mtv.com/2011/06/21/w-magazine-muses/|publisher=MTV|date=21 June 2011|access-date=15 January 2012|archive-date=12 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112124232/http://style.mtv.com/2011/06/21/w-magazine-muses/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|author=Shaw, William|url=https://www.gq.com/entertainment/music/200509/rock-n-roll-wardrobe-brits-england|title=British Rule: GQ Features|work=GQ|access-date=22 April 2008|date=October 2005|archive-date=16 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616210219/http://www.gq.com/entertainment/music/200509/rock-n-roll-wardrobe-brits-england|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/7721/1/mia-x-rankin|work=Dazed & Confused|title=M.I.A X RANKIN|author=Noakes, Tim|year=2010}} On 1 July 2012 Maya attended the Atelier Versace Show in Paris, wearing clothing inspired from the designer's 1992 collection.{{cite web|url=http://celebrity-gossip.net/fashion/jessica-alba-christina-hendricks-among-beauties-pfw-versace-show-687472|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703111727/http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/fashion/jessica-alba-christina-hendricks-among-beauties-pfw-versace-show-687472|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 July 2012|title=Jessica Alba & Christina Hendricks Among Beauties At PFW Versace Show|work=Celebrity Gossip.net|access-date=1 July 2012|date=July 2012}}MIAuniverse. (1 July 2012) [https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/219458176293158914] Twitter.comVersace. (1 July 2012) [https://twitter.com/Versace/status/219549075505283072] Twitter.com In 2013 she released her own Versace Collection.[http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/bibby-sowray/TMG10383225/M.I.A.-x-Versus-Versace-collection-unveiled.html M.I.A. x Versus Versace collection unveiled – Telegraph]. Fashion.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved on 4 November 2013.

Music culture writer Michael Meyer said that M.I.A.'s record imagery, lyrical booklets, homepages and videos supported the "image of provocation yet also avoidance of, or inability to use consistent images and messages." Instead of catering to stereotypes, he felt that M.I.A. "played with them" creating an uncategorisable and hence unsettling result. Critic Zach Baron felt that it had been shown in her career that M.I.A. had "always been adept at using a larger force against itself."{{cite web|author=Baron, Zach|date=22 June 2010|title=The education of Maya Arulpragasam|url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/culture/2010/06/117964/education-maya-arulpragasam?page=all|access-date=6 January 2012|work=Capital New York}} M.I.A. has been hailed as demonstrating dislocation to be a "productive site of departure" and praised for her ability to transform such a "disadvantage" into a creative form of expression.

Regarding her first two albums, Arular and Kala, PopMatters writer Rob Wheaton felt M.I.A. subverted the "abstract, organized, refined" distilling of violence in Western popular music and imagination and made her work represent much of the developing world's decades-long experiences of "arbitrary, unannounced, and spectacular" slaughter, deeming her work an "assault" with realism. Frank Guan of Vulture said that Kala "sounded like the future" and that "M.I.A.'s immediate influence was remarkable", as the album "seems to herald certain trends current in contemporary hip-hop". Guan further gave appraisal to M.I.A. for being the "precursor" for "fashion-rap" acts, including Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, and ASAP Rocky.{{Cite web|last=Guan|first=Frank|date=8 August 2017|title=10 Years After Its Release, M.I.A.'s Kala Is a Reflection of a Different World|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/review-m-i-a-s-album-kala-at-ten.html|access-date=6 May 2020|website=Vulture}} Writing for Dazed Digital, Grant Rinder praised the album for transforming M.I.A. from a "cult hero" to an "international star". Rinder commented that the album was a "tremendous" step forward towards shedding light on the realities of Third World countries that the Western world may not have thoroughly understood. Reflecting on diversity and representation issues in society, as well as politics surrounding President Donald Trump, Rinder said that Kala "feels particularly ahead of its time", and concluded that "M.I.A. was truly a pioneer for a global humanitarian perspective that no artist has been able to deliver quite as well since."{{Cite web|last=Dazed|date=8 August 2017|title=Looking back at the passion and politics of M.I.A.'s Kala|url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37006/1/mia-kala-10-year-retrospective|access-date=6 May 2020|website=Dazed}}

Some detractors criticised M.I.A. early in her music career for "using radical chic" and for her attendance of an art school. Critic Simon Reynolds, writing in The Village Voice in 2005 saw this as a lack of authenticity and felt M.I.A. was "a veritable vortex of discourse, around most likely irresolvable questions concerning authenticity, post-colonialism, and dilettantism". He continued that while swayed by her chutzpah and ability to deliver live, he "was also turned off by the stencil-sprayed projection imagery of grenades, tanks, and so forth (redolent of the Clash with their strife-torn Belfast stage backdrops and Sandinista cred by association)" while the "99 percent white audience punched the air", admonishing what he perceived as a "lack of local character" to her debut album.{{cite web|author=Reynolds, Simon|title=Piracy Funds What?|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-02-15/music/piracy-funds-what/|work=The Village Voice|date=15 January 2005|access-date=16 September 2010}}

Critic Robert Christgau described Reynolds' argument as "cheap tack" in another article written in the publication, stating M.I.A's experiences connected her to world poverty in a way "few Western whites can grasp". He questioned why M.I.A.'s 2001 Alternative Turner Prize nominated images of pastel-washed tigers, soldiers, guns, armoured vehicles, and fleeing civilians that bedeck M.I.A.'s albums and videos were not assumed or analysed as being incendiary propaganda, suggesting that unlike art buyers, rock and roll fans were "assumed to be stupid".{{cite news|author=Christgau, Rob|title=Burning Bright|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-02-22/music/burning-bright/|work=The Village Voice|date=22 February 2005|access-date=16 September 2010}} Reynolds later argued that M.I.A. was the "Artist of the Decade" in a 2009 issue of The Guardian.{{Cite news|author=Reynolds, Simon|title=Notes on the noughties: Is MIA artist of the decade?|work=The Guardian|location=UK|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2009/dec/16/mia-artist-of-the-decade|date=16 December 2009|access-date=16 September 2010}} While accepting her British Dance Act award at the Brit Awards 2025, Charli XCX shouted M.I.A. out in her speech, among other dance acts she had been influenced by.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/charli-xcx-sweeps-2025-brit-awards-pays-homage-to-late-collaborator-sophie-someone-who-none-of-us-would-be-here-without-3842677|title=Charli XCX sweeps 2025 BRIT Awards, pays homage to late collaborator SOPHIE: "Someone who none of us would be here without"|date=2025-03-02|access-date=2025-03-02|website=NME|last=Burton|first=Poppy}}

M.I.A.'s commentary on the oppression of Sri Lankan Tamils has drawn praise and criticism.{{cite magazine|author=New Addition|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/m-i-a/biography|title=M.I.A. Biography: Rolling Stone Music|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=12 August 2010}} The United States has restricted her access into and out of the country during her career since the release of her debut album. M.I.A. notes that the voicelessness she felt as a child dictated her role as a refugee advocate and voice lender to civilians in war during her career.

{{quote box|quote=Sometimes I repeat my story again and again because it's interesting to see how many times it gets edited, and how much the right to tell your story doesn't exist. People reckon that I need a political degree in order to go, 'My school got bombed and I remember it cos I was 10-years-old'. I think if there is an issue of people who, having had first hand experiences, are not being able to recount that – because there is laws or government restrictions or censorship or the removal of an individual story in a political situation – then that's what I'll keep saying and sticking up for, cos I think that's the most dangerous thing. I think removing individual voices and not letting people just go 'This happened to me' is really dangerous. That's what was happening ... nobody handed them the microphone to say 'This is happening and I don't like it'.|source=—M.I.A., Clash{{cite web|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/agent-provocateur-mia-interview|first=Matthew|last=Bennett|title=Agent Provocateur: M.I.A. Interview|date=28 June 2010|access-date=23 June 2010|work=Clash}}|align=right|width=25em}}

M.I.A. attributes much of her success to the "homeless, rootlessness" of her early life. Due to her and her family being displaced from Sri Lanka because of the Civil War, M.I.A. has become a refugee icon. The EMP Museum's 2008 Pop Conference featured paper submissions and discussions on M.I.A. presented on the theme of "Shake, Rattle: Music, Conflict, and Change."{{cite web|author=Moscowitz, Gary|url=https://www.motherjones.com/arts/qa/2008/04/even-disco-is-political.html|title=Music Dispatch: Even Disco is political|work=Mother Jones|date=21 April 2008|access-date=24 May 2008}}Clover, Joshua, [http://www.empsfm.org/education/index.asp?categoryID=26&ccID=127&xPopConfBioID=924&year=2008 Abstract: "Terrorflu, or Where in The World is M.I.A."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611092238/http://www.empsfm.org/education/index.asp?categoryID=26&ccID=127&xPopConfBioID=924&year=2008 |date=11 June 2008 }}. Pop Conference. Experience Music Project 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008 She has used networking sites such as Twitter and MySpace to discuss and highlight the human rights abuses and war crimes that Sri Lanka is accused of perpetrating against Tamils, citing news articles, human rights group reports, government reports, her own experiences as a child and on her return to the island in 2001 to support calls for a ceasefire. M.I.A. has also used a great deal of tiger print and imagery, a symbol for the Tamil Tigers in both album artwork and music videos, such as seen in "Galang".{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} Being the only Tamil widely known in Western media, M.I.A. has discussed how she feels a responsibility to represent the Tamil minority.{{Citation|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgLpT2s64cI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012004602/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgLpT2s64cI |archive-date=12 October 2013 |url-status=dead|title=M.I.A Tells of Sri Lanka Genocide to U S- World Fans|access-date=22 October 2015}} M.I.A. has spoken of discussions with witnesses during and after the war as reinforcing the need for international intervention to protect and provide justice to Tamil people.{{cite episode|series=Q|credits=Jian Ghomeshi (Interviewer), M.I.A. (Interviewee)|url=http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2010/10/18/mia-uncut/|title=M.I.A. Uncut|network=CBC Radio|location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada|date=18 October 2010|access-date=12 January 2011}}{{cite news|author=Bhansali, Akshay|title=M.I.A Speaks Up For Civilians Trapped In Sri Lankan War|publisher=MTV|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1611336/mia-speaks-up-civilians-sri-lanka.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401062152/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1611336/mia-speaks-up-civilians-sri-lanka.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 April 2012|date=13 May 2009|access-date=10 March 2012}} As the 2009 Tamil diaspora protests gathered pace, she joined other activists in condemning the actions of the Sri Lankan government against the Tamil populace as a slow "systematic" genocide.{{Cite news|author=Janani, J.T. |title=The diaspora as genocide resistors |work=Tamil Guardian |url=http://www.tamilguardian.com/tg393/p7.pdf |date=4 March 2009 |access-date=25 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720125749/http://www.tamilguardian.com/tg393/p7.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}{{Cite episode|title=M.I.A.|series=Tavis Smiley|credits=Tavis Smiley (Interviewer), M.I.A. (Interviewee)|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/hip-hop-artist-m-i-a/|location=Los Angeles|network=PBS|air-date=28 January 2009|transcript=Transcript|transcript-url=https://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200901/20090128_mia.html|minutes=12:21}} Telling TIME that she didn't see anything wrong in sticking up for 300,000 trapped and dying people, M.I.A. stated that international governments were privy to Sri Lanka's use of widespread censorship and propaganda on the rebellion during the island's civil war to aid its impunity in numerous atrocities on civilians, but had no will to end it.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1894780_1894784,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502162245/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1894780_1894784,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 May 2009|title=M.I.A. Makes the TIME 100|magazine=TIME|access-date=16 January 2012|date=30 April 2009}} Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary denied that his country perpetrated genocide, responding that he felt M.I.A. was "misinformed" and that "it's best she stays with what she's good at, which is music, not politics."{{cite web|author=Baron, Zach|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/02/sri_lanka_respo.php#more|title=Sri Lankan Government Responds to Alleged M.I.A. Slur: "It's Best That She Stay With What's She's Good At"|work=The Village Voice|date=19 February 2009|access-date=17 September 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222211122/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/02/sri_lanka_respo.php#more|archive-date=22 February 2009}} She has also appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as other television networks, to discuss the issues in Sri Lanka and critique the Sri Lankan government and their censorship of the media.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

She has been accused of being a "terrorist sympathiser" and "LTTE supporter" by the Sri Lankan government,{{Cite news|author=Aitkenhead, Decca|title=MIA: 'People forgot what it's like to be punk'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/nov/15/mia-decca-aitkenhead|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=15 November 2010|access-date=15 November 2010}} even by public figures such as Oprah Winfrey, as was stated in a Rolling Stone magazine article, where the singer recalled their exchange: "She shut me down. She took that photo of me, but she was just like, 'I can't talk to you because you're crazy and you're a terrorist.' And I'm like, 'I'm not. I'm a Tamil and there are people dying in my country and you have to like look at it because you're fucking Oprah and every American told me you're going to save the world.'"{{cite web|title=Rapper M.I.A. claims Oprah Winfrey called her a 'terrorist'|url=http://thegrio.com/2015/03/21/rapper-m-i-a-claims-oprah-winfrey-called-her-a-terrorist/|website=theGrio|date=21 March 2015 |access-date=22 October 2015}}{{cite magazine|title='Arular' 10 Years Later: M.I.A. Reflects on Globe-Shaking Debut|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/arular-10-years-later-m-i-a-reflects-on-globe-shaking-debut-20150320?page=5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323024723/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/arular-10-years-later-m-i-a-reflects-on-globe-shaking-debut-20150320?page=5|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2015|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=5 December 2015}}

Two weeks before his death, the Tigers' Political Head B. Nadesan told Indian magazine, The Week, that he felt that M.I.A.'s humanitarianism had been a source of strength to Eelam Tamils and fearless, knowingly amidst the "all-powerful Sri Lankan propaganda machinery that demonises any one who speaks for the Tamils."{{cite magazine|author=Muralidharan, Kavita|title=Interview/B. NADESAN, LTTE political head – THE WEEK MAY 10, 2009|date=4 May 2009|magazine=The Week|publisher=Malayala Manorama}} Miranda Sawyer of The Observer highlighted that M.I.A. was emotional and that this could be limiting her, stating that while she was well informed, "you're not meant to get involved when giving information out about war", and that the difficulty for M.I.A. was that the world "doesn't really care."

Hate mail, including death threats directed at M.I.A. and her son, has followed her activism, which she cited as an influence on the songs on her album Maya.{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/06/16/2010-06-16_mia_new_album_was_inspired_by_death_threats_to_my_son_ikhyd_after_i_criticized_s.html|title=M.I.A.: New album was inspired by death threats to my son, Ikhyd, after I criticized Sri Lanka|work=Daily News|location=New York|first=Anthony|last=Benigno|date=16 June 2010|access-date=22 June 2010}}

In 2008, M.I.A. filmed from her Bed Stuy apartment window and posted on YouTube an incident involving a black man being apprehended by white policemen, which in light of the Sean Bell shooting incident, elicited commentary debating the force used for the arrest.{{Cite news|author=Gajewski, Josh|title=M.I.A. can be found at Bed Stuy (and soon at Coachella)|url=https://latimes.com/theguide/music/coachella/la-gd-cover24apr24,0,6975885.story|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301070018/http://latimes.com/theguide/music/coachella/la-gd-cover24apr24%2C0%2C6975885.story|archive-date=1 March 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|date=24 April 2008|access-date=16 September 2008|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|author=Baltin, Steve|date=6 May 2008|title=M.I.A. Bashes Cops, References Sean Bell|url=http://www.spinner.com/2008/05/06/m-i-a-bashes-cops-references-sean-bell/|work=Spinner.com|access-date=12 January 2012}} She has spoken of the combined effects that news corporations and search engine Google have on news and data collection, while stressing the need for alternative news sources that she felt her son's generation would need in order to ascertain truth. She told Nylon magazine that social networking site Facebook and Google's development "by the CIA" was harmful to internet freedom.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/51302|title=MIA: 'Facebook and Google were developed by the CIA'|date=1 June 2010|work=Nylon|access-date=23 December 2010}} Some criticised the claim as lacking detail.

In 2010, M.I.A. voiced her fears of the influence of video game violence on her son and his generation, saying, "I don't know which is worse. The fact that I saw it in my life has maybe given me lots of issues, but there's a whole generation of American kids seeing violence on their computer screens and then getting shipped off to Afghanistan. They feel like they know the violence when they don't. Not having a proper understanding of violence, especially what it's like on the receiving end of it, just makes you interpret it wrong and makes inflicting violence easier."{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/GIRLS/Cover-Girls/MIA?page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528184145/http://www.complex.com/GIRLS/Cover-Girls/MIA?page=2|archive-date=28 May 2010|title=M.I.A|last=Denver|first=Nate|date=24 May 2010|work=Complex|access-date=8 September 2010}}

On 20 November 2013 M.I.A. appeared on The Colbert Report and was asked by host Stephen Colbert what she thought of America. After some thought, she said, "Well you know, in my mind, there's no countries, you know it's like; we're all one, we all live on this planet."{{Cite episode|title=November 20, 2013 – M.I.A.|number=10027|series=The Colbert Report|url=http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/wed-november-20-2013-m-i-a-|access-date=21 November 2013|network=Comedy Central|location=New York|date=20 November 2013}}

On 2 December 2013 Time asked M.I.A. whom she would pick for its "Person of the Year" and she said it would be N.S.A. whistleblower Edward Snowden.TIME (2 December 2013) [https://twitter.com/TIME/status/407575224649908224] Twitter.com On 8 July 2016 M.I.A. tweeted a YouTube video of an episode of Edward Snowden on the HBO show VICE entitled "State of Surveillance" which discusses abilities of governments to hack into cellular phones.{{Cite tweet|user=MIAuniverse|number=751519649481625600|date=8 July 2016|title='State of Surveillance' with Edward Snowden}}

M.I.A. has been outspoken about the police killings of citizens in the United States. On 12 July 2016 she tweeted an article that shows that more US citizens have been killed by police than military personnel since 11 September 2001.{{Cite tweet|user=MIAuniverse|number=752917647688339456|date=12 July 2016|title="Shock Report: More Americans Killed by Police Since 9/11 than Soldiers Killed in War"}}{{Primary source inline|date=October 2022}}

In 2020, M.I.A. stated that she would "choose death" over a COVID-19 vaccine. She later clarified by saying that she is not against vaccines but that she is "against companies who care more for profit then {{sic}} humans."{{cite web|last1=Snapes|first1=Laura|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/22/mia-claims-british-vogue-pulled-article-about-her-over-anti-vax-comments|title=MIA claims British Vogue pulled article about her over 'anti-vax' comments|work=The Guardian|date=22 April 2020|access-date=24 September 2020}} That same year, she also commented on the conspiracy theory linking 5G to COVID-19, tweeting "Prevention is always better then {{sic}} cure. Can you love vax and 5G at the same time?"{{cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Patrick |title=M.I.A. clears up her stance on vaccinations following Twitter backlash |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/m-i-a-clears-up-stance-vaccinations-following-twitter-backlash-2640812 |website=NME |access-date=21 January 2022 |date=3 April 2020}} and expressing the belief that 5G is able to "confuse or slow the body down in healing process as body is learning to cope with new singles wavelength s {{sic}} frequency etc @ same time as Cov." In October 2022, after American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay almost $1 billion to the parents of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, M.I.A. tweeted: "If Alex Jones pays for lying, shouldn't every celebrity pushing vaccines pay too?"{{Cite web |last=Cockerell |first=Isobel |date=14 October 2022 |title=The damage Alex Jones has done is unforgivable. It's also irreversible. |url=https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/alex-jones/ |access-date=18 October 2022 |website=Coda Media |language=en-US}}

{{quote box|quote=I'm not coming at it as a politician, it's my own personal experience. And I just think that that's just what people want to put out there, you know, 'You don't have the right to talk about this'. And they use me as a puppet to explain that to you, that only people who, you know, have a PhD in this shit are allowed to talk about this.... There aren't more people standing up and telling their personal experience.... And now it's so disconnected and the media can paint a picture for you ... they make so much bureaucracy and politics.... It's all funnelled through this channel, you really are not getting it from the horse's mouth, you know?|source=—M.I.A.{{cite web| last= Brockman| first= Daniel|work=Boston Phoenix |url= http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/109523-mia-fixing-the-glitch/?page=1#TOPCONTENT|title=M.I.A.: – Fixing the glitch|date=6 October 2010}}|align=right|width=25em}}

File:A Charter for the Arts Launch (49126902927).jpg

M.I.A. endorsed candidate Jan Jananayagam at the 2009 European Parliament election, a last-minute candidate standing on a platform of anti-genocide, civil liberties, financial transparency, the environment and women's rights, who became one of the most successful independent election candidates ever despite her loss in the general election.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8089744.stm|title=Tamil campaigner Euro vote boost|publisher=BBC|date=9 June 2009|access-date=25 August 2010}}

In October 2009, she stated that the President Barack Obama should give back his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "like John Lennon sent back his MBE."{{cite tweet| last= Arulpragasam| first= Maya| user= _M_I_A_| number= 4745265097| |date=9 October 2009|access-date=7 October 2011| title= Dead link}}{{dead|date= May 2025}} She said in one interview, playing on the famous Lennon phrase "Give Peace a Chance": "I'm a bit beyond being an artist who says, 'Give peace a chance.' Part of me is like, 'Give war a chance,' just to stir it up, you know what I mean?"

In 2010, she condemned the Chinese government's role in supporting and supplying arms to the Sri Lankan government during the conflict in an interview with music magazine Mondomix, stating that China's influence within the United Nations was preventing prosecutions of war crimes committed during the conflict.{{Cite news|last=Bouard|first=Bertrand|title=M.I.A : 'Les Sri Lankais sont dévastés, cassés' (English translation: The Sri Lankans are devastated, broken)|url=http://www.rue89.com/mondomix/2010/07/11/mia-les-sri-lankais-sont-devastes-casses-158166|work=Mondomix|publisher=Rue 89|date=7 August 2010|access-date=7 September 2010|language=fr}}

Following the 2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests and the 2011 London riots, during which her cousin's jewellery shop in Croydon was attacked and looted,{{cite news|title=Riot-hit Tamils in London rebuild amid local support|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=34307| work=TamilNet|date=16 August 2011|access-date=10 September 2011}} M.I.A. criticised the UK government's response to the rioters as failing to address the root causes. She recalled the importance of a council funded youth worker she had in her school years and the use of tax money to incentivise a new business job creation program amongst the working class. She stated that the top forty companies in Britain who banked offshore should be made to pay taxes in the UK and "cut the poor people some slack."{{cite tweet |last= Arulpragasam| first= Maya |user= _M_I_A_| number= 101230857565646848| title= Dead Tweet |date=10 August 2011 |access-date=10 September 2011}}{{dead|date= May 2025}}

M.I.A. has been a supporter of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.{{cite web|title=M.I.A. Invited to Attend Julian Assange's Wikileaks London Speech|author=Macneil, Jason|url=http://www.spinner.com/2012/08/22/m-i-a-julian-assange-wikileaks/|date=22 August 2012|access-date=22 August 2012}} In her own book, M.I.A. wrote regarding WikiLeaks:

{{quote|So obviously I love WikiLeaks because, after I'd gone through the whole backlash, they were the first news information site to confirm any news on the Sri Lankan war in the truest form; they were the first to release information stating the truth about what had happened to the Tamils as I knew it and to reveal that the United Nations was aware that the Sri Lankan government was lying—war crimes had been committed but their hands were tied because any time anyone tried to impose sanctions, governments would walk out."{{cite book|last1=Arulpragasam|first1=Mathangi|title=M.I.A.|year=2012|orig-year= 2012 |publisher= Rizzoli|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8478-3917-9|page=170}}}}

She composed the theme to Assange's television show The World Tomorrow and later stood by Assange's side as he held a press conference at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where Assange was successfully granted political asylum by Ecuador in August 2012.{{cite magazine| title= Assange Urges U.S. to End Wikileaks 'Witch Hunt'| last= Stringer| first= David |magazine= Time |url= http://world.time.com/2012/08/19/assange-makes-first-public-appearance-in-2-months/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120822004725/http://world.time.com/2012/08/19/assange-makes-first-public-appearance-in-2-months/|url-status=dead|archive-date= 22 August 2012|date=19 August 2012|access-date=22 August 2012}} She posted a photo of Assange from within the embassy, and later tweeted, "hummmm after this day 2things have 2 happen. ... ., either 500 cops turn up outside every rape case reported even if it's without charge. or we get raped by the powerz that be and we deal 4eva."{{cite tweet| user= MIAuniverse| author= M.I.A.| date= 19 August 2012| number= 237177697556639744| title= Just posted a photo http://instagr.am/p/OgtynvHXCG/ }}{{dead|date= May 2025}} [http://instagr.am/p/OgtynvHXCG/ Image here] on Instagram {{cite tweet| user= MIAuniverse| author= M.I.A.| date= 19 August 2012| number= 237245019638091777| title= Dead tweet}}{{dead|date= May 2025}}{{cite tweet| user= MIAuniverse| author= M.I.A.| date= 19 August 2012| number= 237246778246836224| title= Dead tweet}}{{dead|date= May 2025}} The tweets were in reference to an arrest warrant the Swedish Prosecutor's Office issued in August 2010 for Assange on two charges: rape and molestation. Earlier in 2012 Britain's Supreme Court denied an appeal by Assange to avoid extradition to Sweden to face these charges. In November 2013, Assange appeared via Skype to open M.I.A.'s New York City concert.{{cite web| last= Minsker| first= Evan| title= Julian Assange Opens M.I.A.'s New York Show Via Skype| url= https://pitchfork.com/news/52872-julian-assange-opens-mias-new-york-show/| work= Pitchfork |access-date=4 November 2013|archive-date=5 November 2013| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131105220827/http://pitchfork.com/news/52872-julian-assange-opens-mias-new-york-show/|url-status=dead}} Also, on 18 September 2014 Maya tweeted a link to a documentary on YouTube entitled "The Internet's Own Boy: Aaron Swartz". The documentary is about the life of Aaron Swartz, who was a computer programmer, writer, political organiser and Internet hacktivist. In the same tweet Maya included a link and invitation to RSVP to a party to launch Julian Assange's new book When Google Met WikiLeaks.{{cite tweet| author= M.I.A. |date= 18 September 2014| user= MIAuniverse| number= 512556348199145472| title= Dead tweet | access-date= }}{{dead|date= May 2025}}

File:MIAbentwitterfounders.jpg and Jack Dorsey (left and center respectively)]]

Ann Powers, in conversation with Billboard said that in trying to handle political issues and creating art, the musician did not want to compromise or keep silent. She wrote that this method worked for The Clash, but that this was at a certain time and a certain place, that they benefited from being a band, and that audiences were more used to seeing men being confrontational.{{cite magazine|author=Wood, Mikael|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957798/mia-the-billboard-cover-story|magazine=Billboard|title=M.I.A.: The Billboard Cover Story|date=11 June 2010|access-date=17 January 2012}} Conversely, Denise Sullivan writing in Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music from Blues to Hip-Hop (2011), noted that in contrast to other rock musicians, M.I.A. furthered the legacy of The Clash, "creating a controversy while doing so".{{cite book|author=Sullivan, Denise|title=Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music from Blues to Hip-Hop|publisher=Chicago Review Press|year=2011|isbn=978-1-55652-817-0}} Critic Jon Dolan of Spin wrote M.I.A. may be a "confused revolutionary? brilliant provocateur?" and one of the most polarising yet thrilling figures in pop music today. Sarahanna, writing in Impose magazine cited composer Igor Stravinsky in describing M.I.A.'s role as an artist who challenged the audience into breaking their mind from a conservative cycle of familiarity. Baron writing in the Village Voice felt that although M.I.A.'s bloodline, politics and grievance meant that she was more informed than most and gave her "every right to be a partisan and were reason for caution," he praised her efforts for leading thousands of American writers including himself to know of the situation in Sri Lanka as "brilliant", noting her mainly humanitarian angle in her protesting of civilian casualties that had been vastly and disproportionately inflicted on Sri Lanka's Tamil minority and her courage in "putting her success and fame on the line to use every opportunity and avenue possible to remind Americans and people around the globe of this conflict" is pretty much the most admirable thing going in pop music.{{cite web| last= Baron| first= Zach |url= http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2009/05/does_mia_suppor.php| title= How (and How Not To) Talk About Sri Lankan Civil War and M.I.A. in the Same Sentence |work= Village Voice|date=19 May 2009|access-date=13 December 2011| url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120617204148/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2009/05/does_mia_suppor.php| archive-date=17 June 2012}}

In a 2 September 2016 interview with The New York Times M.I.A. talked about making the decision to sacrifice fame and money for speech. "I had the choice to shut my mouth and not be political in order to catapult my fame and popularity and my bank balance. But that's not the choice I made."{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/arts/music/mia-new-album-aim.html|title=Why M.I.A. Made 'an Album About Not Hating'| last1= Coscarelli| first1= Joe |date=2 September 2016|website= The New York Times |access-date= 3 September 2016}}

In June 2017, M.I.A endorsed Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 UK general election. In a video shared on her social channels she said: "I don't usually believe politicians, but I think Corbyn is actually, like, real." She added: "So this is a once in a lifetime opportunity – please go vote. You don't have to trust a politician or vote ever again, but just do it now."{{cite magazine|last=Levine|first=Nick|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mia-urges-fans-vote-lifetime-politician-jeremy-corbyn-2085900| title= MIA urges fans to vote for 'once in a lifetime' politician Jeremy Corbyn|magazine=NME|date=8 June 2017|access-date=11 June 2017}} In November 2019, M.I.A also endorsed Corbyn in the 2019 UK general election. She said: "I'm grateful that someone like Jeremy Corbyn is running" and called him "the last stand that England has got".{{cite news |last= Thorpe |first= Vanessa| url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/24/celebrities-endorse-radical-labour-arts-plan|title=Celebrities turn out to support Labour's vision for the arts| work=The Guardian|date=24 November 2019|access-date=27 November 2019}}{{cite news |last= Dawson| first= Brit| url= https://www.dazeddigital.com/politics/article/46937/1/jeremy-corbyn-lily-allen-mia-labour-arts-for-all-policy-uk-general-election|title=Jeremy Corbyn, Lily Allen, and M.I.A. launch Labour's Arts for All policy|work=Dazed|date=25 November 2019|access-date=27 November 2019}}

In 2024, she endorsed Donald Trump's presidential campaign following the withdrawal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.{{cite web | url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/m-i-a-endorses-donald-trump-after-robert-f-kennedy-jr-backing-3786513 | title=M.I.A. Endorses Donald Trump after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Backing | website= NME | date=24 August 2024 }}

M.I.A.'s relationship with some media outlets has been controversial. M.I.A. confronted Pitchfork Media in 2007, citing sexism and racist mechanisms as possible reasons for misattribution of some of her work in her career. In 2010, M.I.A. tweeted "Fuck the New York Times", after The New York Times published a critical article by Lynn Hirschberg about M.I.A. and the conflict that portrayed the musician as politically naive and hypocritical. Both M.I.A. and several pop culture media outlets were highly critical of Hirschberg's article and reporting. Hirschberg later published a correction, apologizing for reporting quotes made by the artist out of order.{{cite book|author=Dolan, Jon|title=Deconstructing M.I.A|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7bCBYl1V2xAC&q=MIA+sPIN&pg=PA67|date=August 2010|access-date=17 January 2012}}{{cite web|author=Sarahanna|title=In Defense of M.I.A|url=http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/in-defense-of-mia|work=Impose Magazinedate=28 May 2010|date=28 May 2010 |access-date=17 January 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2010/06/lynn_hirschberg_2.php|title=Lynn Hirschberg's M.I.A. Profile Earns a Correction|last=Baron|first=Zach|date=3 June 2010|work=The Village Voice|access-date=14 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618095857/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2010/06/lynn_hirschberg_2.php|archive-date=18 June 2012}} Rob Horning, writing for PopMatters, believed that Hirschberg's incorrect quotes were a deliberate effort to defame the artist.{{cite web|author=Horning, Rob|url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/126796-back|work=PopMatters|title=Backlash to the M.I.A. Backlash|date=10 June 2010|access-date=30 January 2012}} M.I.A. responded on her Twitter account, posting of a telephone number and asking followers to call in and give feedback on the piece, and the revelatory content of the conversations, which she secretly taped.{{Cite news|title=M.I.A. Hits Back at NYT|publisher=MTV|url=https://www.mtv.co.uk/news/ciq8hu/mia-hits-back-at-nyt|date=17 June 2010|access-date=5 January 2011}} In 2010, she expressed disappointment that WikiLeaks distributed their documents to other news publications—including The New York Times—to gain wider coverage, as she stated their "way of reporting" did not work.{{cite web|author=Arulpragasam, Maya|url=https://twitter.com/_M_I_A_/status/12122433762889729|title=M.I.A|work=Twitter|date=7 December 2010|access-date=18 December 2010}}{{cite web|author=Arulpragasam, Maya|url=https://twitter.com/_M_I_A_/status/12123133725122560|title=M.I.A|publisher=Twitter|date=7 December 2010|access-date=18 December 2010}}{{cite web|author=Arulpragasam, Maya|url=https://twitter.com/_M_I_A_/status/12123612064522241|title=M.I.A|publisher=Twitter|date=7 December 2010|access-date=18 December 2010}}

M.I.A. supports a number of charities, both publicly and privately. She funded Youth Action International to help youth break out of cycles of violence and poverty in war torn African communities and set up school-building projects in Liberia in 2006. She supports the Unstoppable Foundation, co-funding the establishment of the Becky Primary School in Liberia.{{cite web|url=http://unstoppablefoundation.org/success-stories.html|title=Success Stories: Unstoppable Foundation: Empowering Lives Through Education|work=Unstoppable Foundation|access-date=26 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012140705/http://unstoppablefoundation.org/success-stories.html|archive-date=12 October 2010}} During her visit to Liberia she met the then President of Liberia and rehabilitated ex-child soldiers. She also appeared as part of a humanitarian mission there, hosting a 4Real TV-series documentary on the post-war situation in the country with activist Kimmie Weeks.{{cite web|title=M.I.A. to host television show|work=NME|location=UK|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/33373|date=27 December 2007|access-date=24 February 2007}}{{cite web|title=Top British Singer, MTV Crew in Town|work=The Analyst (Liberia)|url=http://www.analystliberia.com/top_brtish_singer_visits_liberia_dec07.html|date=7 December 2006|access-date=25 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312004522/http://www.analystliberia.com/top_brtish_singer_visits_liberia_dec07.html|archive-date=12 March 2007}} Following her performance at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards afterparty, she donated her $100,000 performance fee to building more schools in the country, telling the crowd, "It costs $52,000 to build a school for 1,000."{{cite web|title=M.I.A. to build schools in Liberia|work=NME|location=UK|url=https://www.nme.com/news/mia/37104|date=4 June 2008|access-date=24 August 2010}}{{cite web|title=M.I.A. Wants To Build Schools In Liberia|work=Contactmusic.com|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/mia-wants-to-build-schools-in-liberia_1070523|date=4 June 2008|access-date=24 August 2010}}{{Cite journal|title=Still the world's most wanted: MIA|last=Kharas|first=Kev|publisher=IPC Media|page=41|date=6 April 2010|journal=NME|location=UK}} Winning the 2008 Official Soundclash Championships (iPod Battle) with her "M.I.A. and Friends" team, 20% of the following year's championship ticket sales were donated to her Liberian school building projects.{{cite web|title=The Official Soundclash Championships|work=Time Out|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/clubs/event/146294/the-official-soundclash-championships|date=9 June 2009|access-date=24 August 2010|archive-date=18 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118211459/http://www.timeout.com/london/clubs/event/146294/the-official-soundclash-championships|url-status=dead}}

M.I.A. has also donated to The Pablove Foundation to fund paediatric cancer research, aid cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through creative arts programmes.{{cite web|url=http://supportgood.com/charities/health/the-pablove-foundation/|title=The Pablove Foundation|access-date=16 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315212735/http://supportgood.com/charities/health/the-pablove-foundation/|archive-date=15 March 2012}} In 2009, she supported the "Mercy Mission to Vanni" aid ship, destined to send civilian aid from Britain to Vanni and controversially blocked from reaching its destination.{{cite web|author=Baron, Zach|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/04/the_sri_lankan.php|title=The Sri Lankan Government's War with M.I.A. continues|work=The Village Voice|date=7 April 2009|access-date=7 April 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903100629/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/04/the_sri_lankan.php|archive-date=3 September 2009}} The country's navy announced that it would fire on any ship that entered its waters, and M.I.A. was singled out on the Sri Lankan army's official website after the singer announced her support for the campaign.{{cite news|author=Michaels, Sean|title=MIA vs The Sri Lankan Army|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/apr/08/mia-battles-sri-lankan-army|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=8 April 2009|access-date=13 October 2010}} In 2011, following her performance at the Roskilde Festival, she donated from the Roskilde Festival Charity Society to help bring justice to Tamil victims of war crimes and genocide and to aid advocacy and ensure legal rights for refugees and witnesses.{{cite web|title=M.I.A. IS GIVING AWAY MONEY AT ROSKILDE FESTIVAL|work=Roskilde Festival|url=http://roskilde-festival.dk/uk/news/singlenews/mia-is-giving-away-money-at-roskilde-festival/|date=2 June 2011|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-date=5 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805020111/http://roskilde-festival.dk/uk/news/singlenews/mia-is-giving-away-money-at-roskilde-festival|url-status=dead}}

M.I.A. met DJ Diplo at Fabric in London,{{cite web|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050317044856/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/interviews/m/mia-05/ |url= http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/interviews/m/mia-05/| title=Interview: M.I.A.|first=Mark|last=Pytlik|date=14 March 2005|archive-date=17 March 2005}} in 2003, and the two were romantically involved for five years.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkb9OOjRSro |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/tkb9OOjRSro |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Diplo on Dating M.I.A.: It's Hard Dating in the Industry|publisher=YouTube|date=20 November 2012 |access-date=17 April 2013}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.pedestrian.tv/music/mia-diplo-instagram-beef/|title=M.I.A. Tears Into Diplo In Fiery Insta Post, Accuses Him Of Building His Career Off Her|date=27 August 2017|website=Pedestrian TV|access-date=10 February 2020}}{{Cite magazine |last1=Bein |first1=Kat |date=28 August 2017 |title=M.I.A. Says Diplo Didn't Discover Her & She Helped Bring Major Lazer Together |url= https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mia-diplo-major-lazer-interview-2017-7942273/ |access-date=12 August 2022 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine |last1=Reed |first1=Ryan |date=24 April 2015 |title=Diplo on Breakup With M.I.A.: 'I Was Really Jealous and Sad' |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/diplo-responds-to-m-i-a-s-breakup-criticisms-i-was-really-jealous-and-sad-92549/ |access-date=12 August 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

From 2006 to 2008, M.I.A. lived in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York City, where she met Benjamin Bronfman,{{when|date=July 2021}} an American scion of the Bronfman business family and the Lehman banking family which founded Lehman Brothers.{{Cite news|last=Pompeo|first=Joe|title=The Bed-Stuy Bronfman| work=New York Observer|date=23 November 2009 |url= http://www.observer.com/2009/culture/bed-stuy-bronfman?page=1|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091128103951/http://www.observer.com/2009/culture/bed-stuy-bronfman?page=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 November 2009| access-date= 9 January 2011}}{{cite web|last=Vena|first=Jocelyn|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1596874/20081013/mia__4_.jhtml|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081015163630/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1596874/20081013/mia__4_.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 October 2008| title= M.I.A. Confirms Pregnancy: 'I'm Creating A Baby' |publisher=MTV|date=13 October 2008|access-date=23 August 2010}} They became engaged. She gave birth to their son, Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman, on 13 February 2009, three days after performing at the Grammy Awards.{{cite web| url= http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20259314,00.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090216042200/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20259314,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2009| title= M.I.A.: It's a B.O.Y! |last1=Herndon|first1=Jessica|last2=Jones|first2=Oliver|date=14 February 2009|work=People|access-date=14 February 2009}}{{cite news|last=Moody|first=Nekesa|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/14/mia-gives-birth-days-afte_n_167016.html |title= M.I.A. Gives Birth Days After Grammy Performance|work=The Huffington Post|date=14 February 2009|access-date=12 August 2010}} In February 2012, it was reported that she and Bronfman had separated.{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/m-i-a-reportedly-split-from-fiance-benjamin-bronfman-1.765228| title= M.I.A. reportedly split from fiance Benjamin Bronfman |work= ctvnews.ca| publisher= CTV News|date=7 February 2012|access-date=7 February 2012}}{{cite news|website= stopbeingfamous.com |first=Ferrari|last=Sheppard|title=M.I.A. Discusses Money, Politics, Love and Matangi |url= http://stopbeingfamous.com/2013/11/10/m-i-a-discusses-money-politics-love-and-matangi-with-stop-being-famous/_3308199.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131217050757/http://stopbeingfamous.com/2013/11/10/m-i-a-discusses-money-politics-love-and-matangi-with-stop-being-famous/_3308199.html |archive-date=17 December 2013|date=10 November 2013|access-date=2 April 2014}}

M.I.A. was raised by her parents as a Hindu. However, her mother became a Christian while M.I.A. was a teenager. M.I.A. revealed that in 2017 she became a born-again Christian after seeing a vision of Jesus Christ.{{cite news |first1= Allison| last1= Hussey| first2= Matthew |last2= Strauss |date=26 May 2022 |title=M.I.A. Reveals New Album Title, Shares New Song 'The One': Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mia-reveals-new-album-title-shares-new-song-the-one-listen |work=Pitchfork |access-date=6 September 2022}}

{{Main|M.I.A. discography}}

• Arular (2005)
• Kala (2007)
• Maya (2010)
• Matangi (2013)
• AIM (2016)
• Mata (2022)

• Arular Tour (2005)
• Kala Tour (2007)
• People vs. Money Tour (2008)
• Maya Tour (2010)
• Matangi Tour (2013–2014)
• AIM Tour (2017–2018)

{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by M.I.A.}}

M.I.A. has been nominated for Academy Award, Grammy Award, Brit Award, Mercury Prize and Alternative Turner Prize, and the first artist of Sri Lankan-British descent to be nominated for an Academy and Grammy Award in the same year. She has also been nominated for an MOBO Award, MTV Video Music Award, and MTV Europe Music Award.

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for her services to music.{{London Gazette|issue=62666|supp=y|page=B15|date=8 June 2019}}{{cite magazine|last=Yoo|first=Noah|date=8 June 2019|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mia-named-member-of-most-excellent-order-of-the-british-empire/|title=M.I.A. Named Member of Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|magazine=Pitchfork|access-date=3 October 2021}} She accepted the it in honour of her mother who had "spent her life in England hand sewing thousands of medals for the Queen".{{Cite web|last=Yoo|first=Noah|date=8 June 2019|title=M.I.A. Named Member of Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mia-named-member-of-most-excellent-order-of-the-british-empire/|access-date=3 October 2021|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}} In 2022, she received an honorary award from University of the Arts London for outstanding contributions to the creative industries.{{cite web |title=Honorary Awards 2022 |url=https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/graduation/honorary-awards-2022 |website=University of the Arts London |access-date=25 September 2022}}

{{Reflist}}

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• {{cite book|author=Beres, Derek|year=2005|title=Global beat fusion: the history of the future of music|isbn=978-0-595-34899-2 |location=Lincoln, Neb. |publisher=iUniverse|oclc=62334812|pages=20–21, 194}}
• {{cite book|author=Beth Ray, Mary|year=2011|title=Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture|page=242 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield: Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-4634-7|oclc=664667183}}
• {{cite book|author=Bradley, Adam, DuBois, Andrew|title=The Anthology of Rap|year=2010|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-14190-0|url=https://archive.org/details/anthologyofrap00brad}}
• {{Cite news|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2007/10/cmj_this_is_ano.php?page=1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205221719/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2007/10/cmj_this_is_ano.php?page=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 February 2013|work=The Village Voice|date=22 October 2007|first=Camille|last=Dodero|title=CMJ: This is Another Piece About M.I.A. at Terminal 5}}
• {{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/11/22/041122crmu_music|magazine=The New Yorker|date=22 November 2004|first=Sasha|last=Frere-Jones|title=Bingo in Swansea – Maya Arulpragasam's World}}
• {{cite book|author1=Gibney, Mark|author2=Loescher, Gil|year=2010|title=Global refugee crisis: a reference handbook|edition=second|publisher=Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-455-9|oclc=639162716}}
• {{cite book|author=Haddad, Candice|year=2011|title=In the limelight and under the microscope: forms and functions of female celebrity|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4411-5495-8}}
• {{Cite news|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-01-21/pazzandjop/how-m-i-a-and-america-got-her-swagger-back/|work=The Village Voice|date=20 January 2009|last=Harvilla|first=Rob|title=How M.I.A. (and America) Got Her Swagger Back}}
• {{cite book|author=Longhurst, Brian|title=Popular music and society|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7456-3162-2|page=146|oclc=237190093 |location=Cambridge, UK |publisher=UK Polity Press }}
• {{cite book|author=Low, Bronwen|year=2011|title=Slam School: Learning Through Conflict in the Hip-Hop and Spoken Word Classroom|pages=157–158|isbn=978-0-8047-7753-7 |location=Palo Alto|publisher=Stanford University Press}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Meyers|first1=Michael|last2=Emig|first2=Rainer|year=2009|title=Word & image in colonial and postcolonial literatures and cultures|chapter=Missing in Act(i)on: Asian British Pop music between resistance and commercialisation |publisher=Rodopi Publishers |pages=261–273|isbn=978-90-420-2743-5}}
• {{Cite news|url=http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/06/music_the_great_messenger.php#comments|work=Seattle Weekly|date=2 June 2009|first=Krist|last=Novoselic|title=Music: The Great Messenger: How My Story's Similar to M.I.A|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327052418/http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/06/music_the_great_messenger.php#comments|archive-date=27 March 2012}}
• {{Cite news|author=Orlov, Piotr|url=http://www.arthurmag.com/2007/02/11/interview-with-mia-from-arthur-magazine/|title=Interview with M.I.A. from Arthur Magazine|work=Arthur|volume=16|date=2004{{ndash}}2005}}
• {{cite book|author=Smith, Courtney E.|isbn=978-0-547-50223-6|oclc=694830145|year=2011|title=Record collecting for girls: unleashing your inner music nerd, one album at a time|location=Boston|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|url=https://archive.org/details/recordcollecting00smit}}
• {{cite book|author=Weems, Lisa|isbn=978-1-4331-0649-1|year=2011|title=Postcolonial challenges in education |location=New York |publisher=Peter Lang}}
• {{Cite magazine|title=Why India is the inspiration for rapper M.I.A.'s latest studio album|url=https://www.vogue.in/content/why-india-is-the-inspiration-for-rapper-m-i-a-s-latest-studio-album/|date=25 October 2016|first=Megha|last=Mahindru|magazine=Vogue India}}

{{Refend}}

{{Commons category|M.I.A.}}

{{Wikiquote|M.I.A.}}

• {{youTube|u=MIAVEVO}}
• {{discogs artist|M.I.A. (2)|M.I.A.}}
• [http://musictea.org/music/mia M.I.A.] discography at MusicTea
• {{IMDb name|1756665|M.I.A.}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100530083156/http://neetrecordings.com/ N.E.E.T. Recordings]

{{M.I.A.}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for M.I.A.

|list =

{{BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist}}

{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:M.I.A.}}

Category:1975 births

Category:21st-century British rappers

Category:21st-century English singers

Category:21st-century English women singers

Category:21st-century women rappers

Category:Alternative hip-hop musicians

Category:Alumni of Central Saint Martins

Category:Alumni of Holy Family Convent, Jaffna

Category:Anti-consumerists

Category:British Asian musicians

Category:British artists with disabilities

Category:British feminist musicians

Category:British hip-hop record producers

Category:British hip-hop singers

Category:British women documentary filmmakers

Category:British women hip-hop musicians

Category:British women record producers

Category:British world music musicians

Category:Bronfman family

Category:Family of Carl M. Loeb

Category:Converts to Christianity from Hinduism

Category:Desi musicians

Category:English dance musicians

Category:English documentary filmmakers

Category:English electronic musicians

Category:English expatriate musicians in the United States

Category:English hip-hop musicians

Category:English music video directors

Category:English people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent

Category:English people with disabilities

Category:English record producers

Category:English women in electronic music

Category:English women rappers

Category:English women singer-songwriters

Category:English singer-songwriters

Category:English women songwriters

Category:Interscope Records artists

Category:Labour Party (UK) people

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire

Category:MTV Video Music Award winners

Category:Musicians with dyslexia

Category:NME Awards winners

Category:People from Hounslow

Category:People from Mitcham

Category:British political music artists

Category:Progressive rappers

Category:Rappers from the London Borough of Hounslow

Category:Rappers from the London Borough of Merton

Category:Singers from the London Borough of Hounslow

Category:Singers from the London Borough of Merton

Category:British Asian rappers

Category:Sri Lankan Tamil musicians

Category:Sri Lankan Tamil people

Category:Women hip-hop record producers

Category:XL Recordings artists