Maya (M.I.A. album)

Image:DJRusko.jpg was one of M.I.A.'s collaborators on the album|alt=A white man with red hair and a slight beard manipulating the controls of a piece of music mixing equipment. He has headphones around his neck and a mask resembling a multi-coloured monkey pushed up onto the top of his head.]]

English-Tamil musician M.I.A. (Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam) released her second album Kala in 2007, which achieved widespread critical acclaim, and was certified gold in the United States and silver in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=kala#search_section |title=Gold & Platinum |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |date=5 March 2010 |access-date=18 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx |title=Certified Awards |publisher=British Phonographic Industry |date=30 January 2009 |access-date=28 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124005813/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx |archive-date=24 January 2013 }} Enter Kala in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go Six months after giving birth to her son Ikyhd in February 2009,{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20259314,00.html|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=28 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108173018/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20259314,00.html|archive-date=8 January 2011}} she began composing and recording her third studio album in a home studio section of the Los Angeles house she had bought with her partner Ben Bronfman. She used instruments such as the portable dynamic-phrase synthesizer Korg Kaossilator to compose. She took the beat machine and began recording atop Mayan pyramids in Mexico.{{cite web|url=http://www.uptheantics.com/antics-tv/music_entry/mia_in_new_orleans_2_of_3/ |title=M.I.A. in New Orleans Part 2 |website=Antics |date=17 October 2008 |access-date=28 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017023018/http://www.uptheantics.com/antics-tv/music_entry/mia_in_new_orleans_2_of_3/ |archive-date=17 October 2008}} Much of the work on the album was undertaken at her house in Los Angeles, in what she called a "commune environment",{{cite web|url=http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/07/13/mia-new-album/|title=M.I.A.'s New Album Was Made in a Cave: The MTV News Quote Of The Day|publisher=MTV Newsroom|date=13 July 2010|access-date=24 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913104455/http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/07/13/mia-new-album/|archive-date=13 September 2012}} before it was completed in a rented studio in Hawaii. She collaborated with writer-producer Blaqstarr because, in her opinion, "he simply makes good music".{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2010/01/09/mia-calls-on-blaqstarr-verizon-employees-for-new-album/|title=M.I.A. calls on Blaqstarr, Verizon employees for new album|work=Rap-Up|access-date=12 June 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423051213/http://www.rap-up.com/2010/01/09/mia-calls-on-blaqstarr-verizon-employees-for-new-album/|archive-date=23 April 2010}} M.I.A.'s collaboration with Derek E. Miller of Sleigh Bells on the track "Meds and Feds" prompted her subsequent signing of the band to her label N.E.E.T., and according to Miller, this experience gave him the confidence to record the band's debut album Treats.{{cite web |last=Lindsay |first=Cam |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/sleigh_bells_talk_spike_jonze_mi_being_years_ahead_of_their_dreams |title=Sleigh Bells Talk Spike Jonze, M.I.A. and Being Years Ahead of Their Dreams |work=Exclaim! |date=7 June 2010 |access-date=28 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815121539/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/sleigh_bells_talk_spike_jonze_mi_being_years_ahead_of_their_dreams |archive-date=15 August 2016}}{{cite news|last=Barrett|first=Brad|title=DiS Meets Sleigh Bells|url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4140724-dis-meets-sleigh-bells|website=Drowned in Sound|date=1 September 2010|access-date=10 September 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910100809/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4140724-dis-meets-sleigh-bells|archive-date=10 September 2010}}

Her creative partnership with the relatively unknown Rusko grew from a sense of frustration at what she saw as her now more mainstream associates suggesting sub-standard tracks due to their busy schedules.{{cite magazine|title='The new Justin Bieber video is more offensive than anything I've made...'|magazine=NME|issn=0028-6362|first=Jaimie|last=Hodgson|page=26|date=15 May 2010}} Diplo worked on the track "Tell Me Why", but at a studio in Santa Monica, California, rather than at the house. He claimed in an interview that, following the break-up of his personal relationship with M.I.A. some years earlier, he was not allowed to visit the house because "her boyfriend really hates me".

Tracks for the album were whittled down from recording sessions lasting up to 30 hours. Producer Rusko, who played guitar and piano on the album, described the pair getting "carried away" in the studio, appreciating the "mad distorted and hectic" sound they were able to create. Rusko said "She's got a kid, a little one year old baby, and we recorded his heart beat. We'd just think of crazy ideas".{{cite web|author=Rogers, Georgie|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20100427_mia.shtml|title=M.I.A's call for title help|publisher=BBC Radio 6 Music|access-date=12 June 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503173323/http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20100427_mia.shtml|archive-date=3 May 2010}} Rusko has described M.I.A. as the best artist he has ever worked with, saying that she had "been the most creative and I really had a good time making music with her".{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/may/26/rusko-dubstep|title=Rusko: 'I make dirty, wobbly dubstep'|first=Patterson|last=Joseph|date=26 May 2010|access-date=11 June 2010|work=The Guardian|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104223414/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/may/26/rusko-dubstep|archive-date=4 January 2014}}

M.I.A. called the new project "schizophrenic", and spoke of the Internet inspiration 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|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521233044/http://www.rap-up.com/2010/05/17/mia-pukes-out-schizophrenic-album-plots-fall-tour/|archive-date=21 May 2010}} She also said that the album centred on her "not being able to leave [Los Angeles] for 18 months" and feeling "disconnected".{{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'|work=Newsbeat|date=27 April 2010|access-date=27 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430193511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_10080000/newsid_10087800/10087809.stm|archive-date=30 April 2010}} She summed up the album's main theme as information politics. During the recording of the album, she spoke of the combined effects that news corporations and Google have on news and data collection, while stressing the need for alternative news sources that she felt her son's generation would need to ascertain truth.{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/GIRLS/Cover-Girls/MIA?page=4|title=M.I.A.|last=Denver|first=Nate|date=24 May 2010|work=Complex|access-date=11 June 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601084531/http://www.complex.com/GIRLS/Cover-Girls/MIA?page=4|archive-date=1 June 2010}} Maya was made to be "so uncomfortably weird and wrong that people begin to exercise their critical-thinking muscles". M.I.A. said "You can Google 'Sri Lanka' and it doesn't come up that all these people have been murdered or bombed, it's 'Come to Sri Lanka on vacation, there are beautiful beaches' ... you're not gonna get the truth till you hit like, page 56, and it's my and your responsibility to pass on the information that it's not easy anymore". Following these comments, M.I.A. received death threats directed at her and her son, which she also cited as an influence on the songs on the album. She summed up the album as a mixture of "babies, death, destruction and powerlessness".{{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|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619085106/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|archive-date=19 June 2010}} The singer revealed that going into recording the album, she had still not accepted that she was a musician, saying, "I'm still in denial, listening to too much Destiny's Child".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/m-i-a-s-global-party-the-futuristic-pop-star-on-her-decades-journey-20091229#ixzz1gXgx7iqM|first=Brian|last=Hiatt|title=M.I.A.'s Global Party: The Futuristic Pop Star on Her Decade's Journey|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=29 December 2009|access-date=14 December 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202172656/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/m-i-a-s-global-party-the-futuristic-pop-star-on-her-decades-journey-20091229#ixzz1gXgx7iqM|archive-date=2 February 2013}} With Maya, she stated "I was happy being the retarded cousin of rap... Now I'm the retarded cousin of singing."

Image:MIABen.jpg

M.I.A. opted to sing, as opposed to rap, on several tracks on the album, telling Rolling Stone in early 2010 that she wished to produce something different from her previous album, which had "more emphasis on production".{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/37534-new-mia-album-due-this-summer/|title=New M.I.A. Album Due This Summer|first=Tom|last=Breihan|date=11 January 2010|access-date=9 June 2010|work=Pitchfork|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527124059/http://pitchfork.com/news/37534-new-mia-album-due-this-summer/|archive-date=27 May 2010}} In a January 2010 interview with NME she spoke of being inspired by the film Food, Inc. and described the album as being about "exploring our faults and flaws" and being proud of them.{{Cite magazine|last=Mackay|first=Emily|title=MIA interview|magazine=NME|page=26|date=16 January 2010}} The closing track, "Space", which was reportedly recorded using an iPhone app, is a ballad which Mikael Wood, writing in Billboard, described as "dreamy" and "sound[ing] like a Sega Genesis practicing its pillow talk". In contrast, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune described "Lovalot" as sounding "like it was recorded in a dank alley, the singer's voice reverberating amid percussion that sounds like doors creaking and rats scurrying across garbage cans". "XXXO" draws its inspiration from M.I.A.'s "cheesy pop side",{{cite magazine|magazine=Dazed & Confused|first=Tim|last=Noakes|date=July 2010|issue=87|page=85|title=Shock to the System}} and is based on the theme of the creation of a sex symbol. "Teqkilla" is the only track to address her relationship with Bronfman, through a reference to Seagram, the company owned by his family. "It Takes a Muscle" is a cover version of a track originally recorded in 1982 by Dutch group Spectral Display, and is performed in a reggae style.{{cite web|url=http://www.depers.nl/entertainment/489121/MIA-maakt-cover-van-Nederlandse-artiest.html|work=De Pers|language=nl|title=M.I.A. maakt cover van Nederlandse artiest|date=22 June 2010|access-date=29 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626123735/http://www.depers.nl/entertainment/489121/MIA-maakt-cover-van-Nederlandse-artiest.html|archive-date=26 June 2010}}

The opening track "The Message", featuring a male lead vocalist, parodies the words of the traditional song "Dem Bones" to link Google to "the government".{{cite magazine|magazine=NME|issn= 0028-6362|date=10 July 2010|first=Emily|last=Mackay|page=38|title=M.I.A. – Maya}} Kitty Empire wrote in The Observer that these conspiratorial government connections to Google and the thoughts of Dzhennet Abdurakhmanova, the Russian teenager who bombed Moscow's tube system in revenge for the death of her husband, were inner-world issues pondered in "Lovalot" with "a mixture of nonsense rhyme, militant posturing and pop-cultural free-flow; her London glottal stop mischievously turns 'I love a lot' into 'I love Allah' ".{{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: Maya|work=The Observer|access-date=13 July 2010|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231082938/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/11/mia-maya-album-review|archive-date=31 December 2013}} Ann Powers in the Los Angeles Times said that "M.I.A. turns a call to action into a scared girl's nervous tic. Synths click out a jittery, jagged background. The song doesn't justify anything, but it reminds us that there is a person behind every lit fuse". Powers also commented on how "Born Free" mixed the boasting style often found in hip hop music with lines depicting the lives of those enduring poverty and persecution.{{cite news|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|first=Ann|last=Powers|work=Los Angeles Times|date=27 April 2010|access-date=24 November 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205104400/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/04/mia-makes-her-stance-utterly-clear-with-born-free-video-1.html|archive-date=5 December 2010}} "Illygirl", a track found only on the deluxe edition of the album, is written from the point of view of an abused but tough teenager, whom critic Robert Christgau said could be the "kid-sister-in-metaphor" of the swaggering persona adopted by M.I.A. on the track "Steppin Up".{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=12 July 2010|url=http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/Illygirl-Steppin-Up/ba-p/2907|title=Illygirl Steppin Up|publisher=Barnes & Noble|access-date=13 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914012816/http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/Illygirl-Steppin-Up/ba-p/2907|archive-date=14 September 2010}}

Samples used on the album were taken from artists as diverse as the electronic duo Suicide and gospel choir the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/38595-new-mia-born-free/|title=New M.I.A.: Born Free|first=Ryan|last=Dombal|date=23 April 2010|access-date=14 June 2010|work=Pitchfork|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615004426/http://pitchfork.com/news/38595-new-mia-born-free/|archive-date=15 June 2010}} "Internet Connection", one of four bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of the album, was recorded in collaboration with a group of Filipino Verizon workers. M.I.A. described the sound and imagery of the album as capturing a "digital ruckus", adding that "so many of us have become typists and voyeurs". We need a digital moshpit like we've never seen, harder than how people were doing it in the punk era. We need that energy, but digitally".{{cite magazine|title=Still the world's most wanted: MIA|last=Kharas|first=Kev|date=6 April 2010|magazine=NME|issn= 0028-6362}} M.I.A. herself picked out "Steppin Up", "Space" and "Teqkilla" as her favourite tracks on the album. She said that she contemplated using only the sound of drills as the backing for "Steppin Up", but concluded that this was "too experimental" an approach.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1643588/20100713/mia__4_.jhtml|title=M.I.A. Breaks Down Her Favorite Tracks on MAYA|first=James|last=Montgomery|date=14 July 2010|access-date=5 August 2010|publisher=MTV News|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722074735/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1643588/20100713/mia__4_.jhtml|archive-date=22 July 2010}}

According to Jim Farber of New York Daily News, Maya is an avant-pop album that takes influence from "the most maddeningly catchy bits of electro-clash, hip-hop, Bollywood, dub and dance music". Farber also noted the significant industrial rock influence on the album, likening it to "the late-'80s work of Ministry".{{Cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/m-s-maya-overcomes-truffle-kerfuffle-fun-avant-pop-article-1.468408|title=M.I.A.'s 'Maya' overcomes truffle kerfuffle with fun avant-pop|last=Farber|first=Jim|date=13 July 2010|work=New York Daily News|access-date=22 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011021534/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/m-s-maya-overcomes-truffle-kerfuffle-fun-avant-pop-article-1.468408|archive-date=11 October 2017}} Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of The Fader commented on the increasingly industrial feel of the tracks made available prior to the album's release,{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2010/06/11/mia-steppin-up-and-xxxo-jay-z-rmx-mp3s/|title=MIA, "Steppin Up" and "XXXO (Jay-Z RMX)" MP3s|work=The Fader|date=11 June 2010|access-date=16 June 2010|first=Julianne Escobedo|last=Shepherd|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616082037/http://www.thefader.com/2010/06/11/mia-steppin-up-and-xxxo-jay-z-rmx-mp3s/|archive-date=16 June 2010}} a style which had not previously been incorporated into her music.{{cite web|url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/discs.cfm?content=175876|work=Now|location=Toronto|date=21 July 2010|access-date=11 November 2010|first=Benjamin|last=Boles|title=Disc Reviews|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119121956/http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/discs.cfm?content=175876|archive-date=19 November 2010}} On a similar note, Michael Saba of Paste believed the album was "a collection of sparse, industrial-influenced tracks that sound more like post-apocalyptic Nine Inch Nails than Arulpragasam’s trademark realpolitik rap".{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/07/mia---y.html|title=M.I.A. : /\/\ /\ Y /\|last=Saba|first=Michael|date=12 July 2010|website=Paste|access-date=14 September 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008111135/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/07/mia---y.html|archive-date=8 October 2016}}

The album was originally set to be released on 29 June 2010, but in May M.I.A.'s record label announced a new release date of 13 July.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/38757-mia-names-lp-bumps-release-date/|title=M.I.A. Names LP, Bumps Release Date|first=Ryan|last=Dombal|date=11 May 2010|access-date=24 May 2010|work=Pitchfork|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526172033/http://pitchfork.com/news/38757-mia-names-lp-bumps-release-date/|archive-date=26 May 2010}} In late April, the artist posted a twitpic of the track listing for the new album. She also commented that at the time she was "open to suggestions" regarding the album's title.{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50841|title=MIA announces new album tracklisting|date=27 April 2010|access-date=26 May 2010|work=NME|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528194204/http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50841|archive-date=28 May 2010}} Two weeks later, a blog posting on her record label's official website revealed that the album would be entitled /\/\/\Y/\, which spells out M.I.A.'s own forename, Maya, in leetspeak.{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/mia/51026|title=MIA reveals new album title|date=11 May 2010|access-date=26 May 2010|work=NME|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514120547/http://www.nme.com/news/mia/51026|archive-date=14 May 2010}} The title follows on from previous albums named after her father (2005's Arular) and mother (2007's Kala).{{cite web|title=M.I.A. : Kala|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/11132/reviews/2310992-|website=Drowned in Sound|access-date=28 May 2010|date=23 December 2007|first=Sam|last=Lewis|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711013722/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/11132/reviews/2310992-|archive-date=11 July 2010}} Some reviewers used the stylised title while others did not. M.I.A.'s official Myspace page uses both titles.{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/mia|title=M.I.A. on MySpace Music|publisher=Myspace|access-date=9 November 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116212752/http://www.myspace.com//mia|archive-date=16 November 2010}} The album was released in conventional physical and digital formats and as an iTunes LP.{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/m-i-a-deluxe/id378505920|title=MAYA (Deluxe Edition) by M.I.A.|website=iTunes Store|location=United States|access-date=15 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717023838/http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/m-i-a-deluxe/id378505920|archive-date=17 July 2010}}

The album's cover features the singer's face almost completely hidden by YouTube player bars.{{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|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026204501/http://www.rap-up.com/2010/05/31/album-cover-mia-maya/|archive-date=26 October 2010}} MTV's Kyle Anderson described the cover, which was previewed in June 2010, as "a typically busy, trippy, disorienting piece of art" and speculated that it might be "a statement about 21st century privacy".{{cite web|url=http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/06/03/mia-maya-album-cover/|title=M.I.A.'s Unveils Busy, Flashy, Attention-Grabbing New Album Cover For /\/\/\Y/\|first=Kyle|last=Anderson|publisher=MTV Newsroom|date=3 June 2010|access-date=22 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606165924/http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/06/03/mia-maya-album-cover|archive-date=6 June 2010}} Additional art direction for the album was provided by Aaron Parsons. M.I.A. used her mother's Tamil phonebook to find a wedding photographer to provide images for the album.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2010/06/30/feature-mia-returns-with-an-all-new-agenda/|title=Feature: MIA Returns With an All New Agenda|work=The Fader|date=30 June 2010|access-date=27 August 2010|first=Kim|last=Taylor Bennet|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100814150209/http://www.thefader.com/2010/06/30/feature-mia-returns-with-an-all-new-agenda/|archive-date=14 August 2010}} Photographers for the album were Ravi Thiagaraja, M.I.A. and Jamie Martinez. Elements of the artwork had previously been used in one of a series of billboard images, all designed by musicians, which were projected onto landmarks in London by a guerrilla project called BillBored during the 2010 British general election.{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/mias_anti-youtube_billboard_co.html|title=M.I.A.'s Anti-YouTube Billboard Could Shift Balance of British Election|work=New York|date=6 May 2010|access-date=13 July 2010|first=Amos|last=Barshad|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511053502/http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/mias_anti-youtube_billboard_co.html|archive-date=11 May 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50956|title=MIA, Futureheads help launch guerrilla general election billboard campaign|work=NME|date=5 May 2010|access-date=13 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508140407/http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50956|archive-date=8 May 2010}} The deluxe edition of the album features a lenticular slipcase.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957798/mia-the-billboard-cover-story|title=M.I.A.: The Billboard Cover Story|first=Mikael|last=Wood|date=11 June 2010|access-date=14 June 2010|magazine=Billboard|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524094238/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957798/mia-the-billboard-cover-story|archive-date=24 May 2013}} Music website Prefix listed it as one of the 10 worst album covers of 2010, likening it to a "child's first computer-class-assignment".{{cite web|url=http://www.prefixmag.com/features/cocorosie-ghostface-killah-grinderman-mia-mgmt-mike-watt-ne-yo-sheek-louch-soundgarden-weezer/best-of-2010-top-10-worst-album-covers/46982/|title=Best of 2010: Top 10 Worst Album Covers|website=Prefix|first=Craig|last=Jenkins|date=15 December 2010|access-date=27 January 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219124745/http://www.prefixmag.com/features/cocorosie-ghostface-killah-grinderman-mia-mgmt-mike-watt-ne-yo-sheek-louch-soundgarden-weezer/best-of-2010-top-10-worst-album-covers/46982/|archive-date=19 February 2011}}

When questioned about the difficulty of finding her album title on search engines such as Google, she noted that she chose to use forward slashes and backward slashes due to their ease at being typed and because she liked the way the album title looked on music players such as iTunes.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbiLnouRlk0|title=M.I.A. talks about Nicki Minaj on KIIS FM's New Music Show With DJ Skee|access-date=3 September 2010|date=12 July 2010|publisher=Dash Radio|via=YouTube|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105113424/http://www.youtube.com//watch?v=KbiLnouRlk0|archive-date=5 January 2011}} She also suggested that it was a deliberate attempt to avoid detection by internet search engines.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/aug/11/bands-names-symbols|title=Meet the bands whose /\/ /\ /\/\ € $ are made out of $¥ /\/\ ß 0 \ $|work=The Guardian|first=Sian|last=Rowe|date=11 August 2010|access-date=3 September 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113163612/http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/aug/11/bands-names-symbols|archive-date=13 November 2013}} The Guardian{{'s}} Sian Rowe commented that M.I.A.'s deliberate "shrinking away from a mainstream audience" by the use of difficult, unsearchable symbols was part of a growing new underground scene perhaps trying to create a "generation gap", where only "the youngest and the most enthusiastic" would seek out such band names by reading the right online sources.

{{See also|Maya Tour}}

On 12 January 2010, M.I.A. posted a video clip on Twitter, which featured a new song, but revealed no information about it other than the heading "Theres space for ol dat I see" (sic).{{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|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523111006/http://www.thefader.com/2010/01/12/we-think-mia-just-posted-a-new-songvideo-but-were-not-100-positive/|archive-date=23 May 2010}} The following day her publicist confirmed that the track was entitled "Space Odyssey" and had been produced in collaboration with Rusko to protest a travel piece about Sri Lanka printed in The New York Times.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2010/01/13/that-new-mia-track-is-actually-a-protest-song-called-space-odyssey/|title=That New MIA Track is Actually a Protest Song Called "Space Odyssey"|work=The Fader|date=13 January 2010|access-date=26 May 2010|first=Julianne|last=Escobedo Shepherd|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328074420/http://www.thefader.com/2010/01/13/that-new-mia-track-is-actually-a-protest-song-called-space-odyssey/|archive-date=28 March 2010}} The track made it onto the final album under the revised title "Space". The same month, she filmed a short film for the song "Born Free". At the end of April the track was released as a promotional single, and the short film accompanying the song was released.{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50823|title=MIA releases violent video for new song 'Born Free'|work=NME|date=26 April 2010|access-date=27 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100429085251/http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50823|archive-date=29 April 2010}} The film, directed by Romain Gavras, depicts a military unit rounding up red-headed young men who are then shot or forced to run across a minefield.{{cite web |url=http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50911 |title=Child 'killed' in MIA's 'Born Free' video defends singer |date=30 April 2010 |work=NME |access-date=22 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528171326/http://www.nme.com/news/mia/50911 |archive-date=28 May 2010}} The film, which also features nudity and scenes of drug use, caused widespread controversy and was either removed or labelled with an age restriction on YouTube.{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/27/mia.music.video/index.html?iref=allsearch|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|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021140002/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/27/mia.music.video/index.html?iref=allsearch|archive-date=21 October 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10087809|title=M.I.A video 'removed by YouTube'|work=Newsbeat|date=27 April 2010|access-date=22 November 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818002118/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10087809|archive-date=18 August 2010}} In the weeks following the release of the film, M.I.A. was the most blogged about artist on the Internet, according to MP3 blog aggregator The Hype Machine.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/most-blogged-artists-mia-the-xx-jamaica-1955809.html|title=Most blogged artists: M.I.A., The xx, Jamaica|work=The Independent|date=27 April 2010|access-date=22 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108044629/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/most-blogged-artists-mia-the-xx-jamaica-1955809.html|archive-date=8 November 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/most-blogged-artists-sleigh-bells-kelis-the-books-1961247.html|title=Most blogged artists: Sleigh Bells, Kelis, The Books|work=The Independent|date=3 May 2010|access-date=22 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107152402/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/most-blogged-artists-sleigh-bells-kelis-the-books-1961247.html|archive-date=7 November 2012}} M.I.A. found the controversy "ridiculous", saying that videos of real-life executions had not generated as much controversy as her video.{{Cite web|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=24 November 2010|work=The Observer|date=13 June 2010|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022094511/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jun/13/mia-feature-miranda-sawyer|archive-date=22 October 2013}} In the run-up to the album's release, "XXXO", which Entertainment Weekly described as the "first official single" from the forthcoming album,{{cite magazine|url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/05/11/m-i-a-xxxo/|title=M.I.A.'s new single, 'XXXO': Now this is more like it|first=Brad|last=Wete|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=11 May 2010|access-date=27 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100517042500/http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/05/11/m-i-a-xxxo/|archive-date=17 May 2010}} "Steppin Up", "Teqkilla" and "It Takes a Muscle" were released online.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1641665/mia-debuts-new-song-steppin-up-on-blog.jhtml|publisher=MTV News|title=M.I.A. Debuts New Song 'Steppin' Up' On Blog|date=16 June 2010|access-date=29 July 2010|first=James|last=Montgomery|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105063933/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1641665/mia-debuts-new-song-steppin-up-on-blog.jhtml|archive-date=5 November 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=145&csid2=804&fid1=47767|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715090923/http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=145&csid2=804&fid1=47767|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 July 2012|work=Exclaim!|date=29 June 2010|access-date=29 July 2010|title=M.I.A. – "Teqkilla"}}{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=0&csid2=804&fid1=47881|work=Exclaim!|date=6 July 2010|access-date=29 July 2010|title=M.I.A. – "Tell Me Why"|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002061511/http://exclaim.ca/MusicVideo/ClickHear/MI-Tell_Me_Why|archive-date=2 October 2012}} On 6 July 2010 she made the entire album available via her Myspace page.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/39376-hear-mias-entire-new-album-now/|title=Hear M.I.A.'s Entire New Album Now|work=Pitchfork|date=6 July 2010|access-date=7 July 2010|first=Amy|last=Phillips|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710192711/http://pitchfork.com/news/39376-hear-mias-entire-new-album-now/|archive-date=10 July 2010}} On 20 September, "Story To Be Told" received a video, on its own website, featuring the song's lyrics in CAPTCHA formatting.{{Cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/5632811/m-i-a-story-to-be-told-video|title=M.I.A.'s "Story To Be Told" Video Is A Story We Don't Want To Hear|last=Bain|first=Becky|date=20 September 2010|website=Idolator|access-date=15 September 2016|archive-date=19 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919090345/http://www.idolator.com/5632811/m-i-a-story-to-be-told-video|url-status=dead}} In December, "It Takes a Muscle" was released as a two-track promotional single.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/it-takes-a-muscle-single/403806363|title=It Takes a Muscle – Single by M.I.A.|website=iTunes Store|date=20 December 2010 |location=United Kingdom|access-date=22 December 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110223823/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-takes-a-muscle-single/id403806363|archive-date=10 November 2012}}

File:Big Chill 2005.jpg in August 2010|alt=An aerial shot of a large gathering of people in a grassy area beside a lake. Several large tents are visible.]]

The new album was publicised during Jay-Z's performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, when a blimp flew across the venue announcing that M.I.A.'s new album would be released on 29 June 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/04/mia-announces-album-release-with-a-blimp.html|title=M.I.A. Announces Album Release with a Blimp|first=Kristen|last=Callihan|work=Paste|date=19 April 2010|access-date=24 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523133943/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/04/mia-announces-album-release-with-a-blimp.html|archive-date=23 May 2010}} M.I.A. promoted the album with a series of appearances at music festivals, including the Hard festival in New York and The Big Chill in Herefordshire. Her performance at the latter was cut short due to a stage invasion by fans.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-festivals/7542364/Massive-Attack-and-M.I.A.-to-headline-Big-Chill-Festival.html|title=Massive Attack and M.I.A. to headline Big Chill Festival|first=Murray|last=Wardrop|date=1 April 2010|access-date=16 June 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605053837/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-festivals/7542364/Massive-Attack-and-M.I.A.-to-headline-Big-Chill-Festival.html|archive-date=5 June 2010}} She also performed at the Flow Festival in Finland, where she was joined onstage by Derek E. Miller playing guitar during her performance of "Meds and Feds",{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/mia/52488|title=MIA closes day two of Flow Festival|date=15 August 2010|access-date=25 August 2010|work=NME|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820010234/http://www.nme.com/news/mia/52488|archive-date=20 August 2010}} and the Lokerse Feesten in Lokeren, Flanders, Belgium, where her performance drew a crowd of 13,500, the biggest of the 10-day music festival.{{cite web|title=Meer dan 120.000 bezoekers op Lokerse Feesten|work=De Morgen|language=nl|url=http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/2590/Festivals/article/detail/1142549/2010/08/08/Meer-dan-120-000-bezoekers-op-Lokerse-Feesten.dhtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801173105/http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/2590/Festivals/article/detail/1142549/2010/08/08/Meer-dan-120-000-bezoekers-op-Lokerse-Feesten.dhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2012|date=8 August 2010|access-date=8 September 2010}} In September she announced a tour that would last until the end of the year.{{cite web|url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=147&csid2=844&fid1=49407|title=M.I.A. Schedules World Tour, Plays Montreal, Toronto|date=8 September 2010|access-date=22 September 2010|work=Exclaim!|first=Alex|last=Hudson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616043859/http://exclaim.ca/News/MI_Schedules_World_Tour_Plays_Montreal_Toronto|archive-date=16 June 2012|url-status=dead}}

M.I.A. also promoted the album with an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman", during which she performed "Born Free" with Martin Rev of Suicide playing keyboards, backed by a group of dancers styled to look like M.I.A.{{cite magazine|url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/07/14/mia-letterman-born-free/|title=M.I.A. brings 'Born Free' to Letterman: Awesome or irritating?|first=Simon|last=Vozick-Levinson|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=14 July 2010|access-date=15 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716180432/http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/07/14/mia-letterman-born-free/|archive-date=16 July 2010}}{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2010/07/watch-10-mias-play-letterman-album-release/|title=Watch: 10 M.I.A.s Play 'Letterman' for Album Release|first=Drew|last=Litowitz|date=14 July 2010|access-date=15 July 2010|work=Spin|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717142238/https://www.spin.com/2010/07/watch-10-mias-play-letterman-album-release/|archive-date=17 July 2010}} In November 2010 she appeared on the British television show Later... with Jools Holland, performing "Born Free" and "It Takes a Muscle", the latter with members of The Specials.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/40591-watch-mia-performs-with-the-specials/|title=Watch: M.I.A. Performs With the Specials|work=Pitchfork|date=3 November 2010|access-date=18 November 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127094205/http://pitchfork.com/news/40591-watch-mia-performs-with-the-specials/|archive-date=27 November 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2010/11/06/video-mia-makes-uk-tv-debut/|title=Video: M.I.A. makes U.K. TV debut|access-date=19 November 2010|work=Rap-Up|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110151441/http://www.rap-up.com/2010/11/06/video-mia-makes-uk-tv-debut/|archive-date=10 November 2010}} While promoting the album, M.I.A. became involved in a dispute with Lynn Hirschberg of The New York Times, who interviewed her in March 2010 and whose resulting article portrayed the singer as pretentious and attention seeking. In response, M.I.A. posted Hirschberg's telephone number on her Twitter page and later uploaded her own audio recording of the interview, highlighting the discrepancies between what she said and what was reported. The piece was criticised for its yellow journalism by some, however M.I.A. received varying degrees of support and criticism for the ensuing fallout from the media.{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/mia-exacts-petty-revenge-on-new-york-times-reporte,41609/|title=M.I.A. exacts petty revenge on New York Times reporter|first=Sean|last=O'Neal|date=27 May 2010|access-date=24 December 2010|work=The A.V. Club|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010084343/http://www.avclub.com/articles/mia-exacts-petty-revenge-on-new-york-times-reporte%2C41609/|archive-date=10 October 2010}} Benjamin Boles wrote in Now that, while Hirschberg's piece came across as a "vicious ... character assassination", M.I.A's subsequent actions were "childish" and made her "the laughing stock of the internet".{{cite web|url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/daily/story.cfm?content=175225|title=In Defense of M.I.A.|work=Now|date=31 May 2010|access-date=1 June 2010|first=Benjamin|last=Boles|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606175505/http://www.nowtoronto.com/daily/story.cfm?content=175225|archive-date=6 June 2010}} The paper later printed a correction on the story, acknowledging that some quotes had been taken out of context.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1640667/mia-quotes-were-out-context-ny-times-editors-note.jhtml|title=M.I.A. Quotes Were Out of Context, NY Times Editor's Note Says|publisher=MTV News|date=3 June 2010|access-date=22 June 2010|first=James|last=Montgomery|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805062408/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1640667/mia-quotes-were-out-context-ny-times-editors-note.jhtml|archive-date=5 August 2011}} The incident prompted Boots Riley of the band Street Sweeper Social Club to comment on how artists had access to media that allowed writers to be held accountable and that M.I.A.'s move was "brilliant".{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/articles/understanding-mia-5-things-you-need-know?page=0%2C4|title=Understanding M.I.A.: 5 Things You Need to Know|work=Spin|date=20 July 2010|access-date=22 July 2010|first=Jon|last=Dolan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725025537/http://www.spin.com/articles/understanding-mia-5-things-you-need-know?page=0%2C4|archive-date=25 July 2010}}

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 7.1/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/1927/MIA-MAYA.aspx|title=MAYA by M.I.A. reviews|website=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=6 October 2019}}

| MC = 68/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/maya/mia|title=Reviews for MAYA by M.I.A.|website=Metacritic|access-date=5 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817184948/http://www.metacritic.com/music/maya|archive-date=17 August 2010}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/maya-mw0002000494|title=MAYA – M.I.A.|website=AllMusic|first=Andy|last=Kellman|access-date=13 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622154628/http://www.allmusic.com/album/maya-mw0002000494|archive-date=22 June 2012}}

| rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev2Score = C−

| rev3 = The Guardian

| rev3Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/08/mia-maya-cd-review|title=MIA: Maya|work=The Guardian|location=London|first=Alexis|last=Petridis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|date=8 July 2010|access-date=8 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101061101/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/08/mia-maya-cd-review|archive-date=1 November 2013}}

| rev4 = The Independent

| rev4Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-mia-maya-xl-2021896.html|title=Album: M.I.A., Maya (XL)|work=The Independent|location=London|first=Andy|last=Gill|date=9 July 2010|access-date=21 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713023001/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-mia-maya-xl-2021896.html|archive-date=13 July 2010}}

| rev5 = Los Angeles Times

| rev5Score = {{rating|3.5|4}}

| rev6 = MSN Music (Expert Witness)

| rev6Score = A

| rev7 = NME

| rev7Score = 7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/album/reviews-mia-11449|title=Album review: MIA – '// / Y /' (NEET/XL)|work=NME|first=Emily|last=Mackay|date=11 July 2010|access-date=12 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727144613/http://www.nme.com/reviews/mia/11449|archive-date=27 July 2010}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8Score = 4.4/10{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14434-y|title=M.I.A.: / \ / \ / \ Y / \|work=Pitchfork|first=Matthew|last=Perpetua|date=12 July 2010|access-date=12 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714103703/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14434-y/|archive-date=14 July 2010}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9Score = {{rating|4|5}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10Score = 9/10

}}

Maya received moderately positive reviews from critics.{{cite web|url=http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/music-hub/2010/jul/23/gig-alerts-mia/|title=Gig Alerts: M.I.A.|first=Alana|last=Harper|date=23 July 2010|access-date=28 July 2010|publisher=WNYC Radio|work=The Culture Site|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725223808/http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/music-hub/2010/jul/23/gig-alerts-mia/|archive-date=25 July 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/07/27/2010-07-27_mia_offers_free_nyc_show_in_response_to_disastrous_hard_performance_on_governors.html|title=M.I.A. offers free NYC show in response to disastrous Hard NYC performance on Governors Island|first=Anthony|last=Benigno|date=28 July 2010|access-date=28 July 2010|work=New York Daily News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730005241/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/07/27/2010-07-27_mia_offers_free_nyc_show_in_response_to_disastrous_hard_performance_on_governors.html|archive-date=30 July 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/clicktrack/2010/07/taking_sides_is_the_mia_backla.html|title=Taking sides: Is the M.I.A. backlash a result of truffle fry angst or crummy songs?|last=Price|first=Allison M.|date=15 July 2010|access-date=28 July 2010|newspaper=The Washington Post|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527155805/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/clicktrack/2010/07/taking_sides_is_the_mia_backla.html|archive-date=27 May 2012}} At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68 based on 41 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Reviews of the album began to appear a month before its release after the album leaked in low quality onto the internet.{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/06/leaked_mia_brings_the_noise_fo.html|title=Leaked: M.I.A. Brings the Noise|work=New York|first=Matthew|last=Perpetua|date=14 June 2010|access-date=22 June 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617230318/http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/06/leaked_mia_brings_the_noise_fo.html|archive-date=17 June 2010}}

Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly called the album "surely the year's most divisive major-label release". Charles Aaron, writing in Spin, gave the album four and a half out of five stars, his review deeming the song "Lovalot" her "riskiest gambit yet".{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/mia-maya-neetxlinterscope|title=M.I.A., 'MAYA' (N.E.E.T./XL/Interscope)|first=Charles|last=Aaron|author-link=Charles Aaron|work=Spin|date=3 June 2010|access-date=25 June 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602001053/http://www.spin.com/reviews/mia-maya-neetxlinterscope|archive-date=2 June 2010}} Matthew Bennett of Clash gave a similar score, calling it a "towering work".{{cite web|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/mia-maya|title=M.I.A. – /\/\ /\ Y /\|first=Matthew|last=Bennett|date=23 June 2010|access-date=23 June 2010|work=Clash|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626053016/http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/mia-maya|archive-date=26 June 2010}} Mojo writer Roy Wilkinson called it a "startling fusillade of to-the-moon pop music".{{cite magazine|year=2010 |title=Filter: Albums |magazine=Mojo |issue=201 |page=93 |first=Roy|last=Wilkinson}} Writing for the BBC Online, Matthew Bennett characterised the album as "loud, proud, and taking no prisoners" and also praised the album's lighter tracks, such as "Teqkilla", which he called "enjoyably demented but utterly catchy".{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/2cb6|publisher=BBC Music|title=M.I.A. /\/\/\Y/\ Review|access-date=29 June 2010|first=Matthew|last=Bennett|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704125150/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/2cb6|archive-date=4 July 2010}} Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield said the album was M.I.A.'s "most aggressive, confrontational and passionate yet", praising her "voracious ear for alarms, sirens, explosions, turning every jolt into a breakbeat" and her consequent lyrics as "expansive".{{cite magazine |date=8 July 2010 |access-date=12 July 2010 |title=M.I.A.'s Permanent Revolution |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue=1108/1109 |page=100 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/maya-20100712 |first=Rob |last=Sheffield |author-link=Rob Sheffield |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224091739/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/maya-20100712 |archive-date=24 December 2010}} Los Angeles Times writer Ann Powers commended the album as "an attempt by an artist who's defined herself through opposition to engage with the system that she has entered, for better or worse, and to still remain recognizable to herself" characterising Maya{{'}}s foregrounded ideas as "a struggle worthy of a revolutionary".{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/07/there-are-so-many-ways-to-say-i-love-you-and-if-youre--singing-it-can-be-hard-to-say-anything-else--it-often.html|title=Album review: M.I.A.'s MAYA album|first=Ann|last=Powers|author-link=Ann Powers|work=Los Angeles Times|date=7 July 2010|access-date=8 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711030642/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/07/there-are-so-many-ways-to-say-i-love-you-and-if-youre--singing-it-can-be-hard-to-say-anything-else--it-often.html|archive-date=11 July 2010}} In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A rating and complimented its "beats and the spunky, shape-shifting, stubbornly political, nouveau riche bundle of nerves who holds them together".{{cite news|url=http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/expert-witness-blogpost.aspx?post=be75b642-73e6-4d25-9661-ccd70da59398 |title=M.I.A./The Arcade Fire |work=MSN Music |date=24 November 2010 |access-date=25 November 2010 |first=Robert |last=Christgau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217074203/http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/expert-witness-blogpost.aspx?post=be75b642-73e6-4d25-9661-ccd70da59398 |archive-date=17 December 2010 |url-status=dead}}

Other critics were not as complimentary towards the album. Charlotte Heathcote of British newspaper the Daily Express said that, while M.I.A. could "still lay claim to being one of our most imaginative, uncompromising artists", there were "only glimmers of brilliance" on the album.{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/185054/Album-review-M-I-A-Maya-Neet-XL-|title=Album review: M.I.A. – MAYA (NEET / XL)|first=Charlotte|last=Heathcote|work=Daily Express|date=4 July 2010|access-date=8 July 2010}} Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot gave the album two and a half out of four stars and expressed a mixed response towards M.I.A.'s "[embracing] pop more fervently than ever.{{cite news|url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/07/album-review-mia-maya.html|title=Album review: M.I.A., 'Maya'|work=Chicago Tribune|date=9 July 2010|access-date=12 July 2010|first=Greg|last=Kot|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712012853/http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/07/album-review-mia-maya.html|archive-date=12 July 2010}} Entertainment Weekly{{'}}s Leah Greenblatt was critical of the album, stating that it sounded "murky and almost punishingly discordant, as if the album has been submerged underwater and then set upon by an arsenal of exceptionally peeved power tools". She went on to state that nothing on the album sounded "truly vital", or as revolutionary as M.I.A. wanted the public to believe.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2010/06/30/maya/|title=MAYA|first=Leah|last=Greenblatt|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=30 June 2010|access-date=1 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703142314/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20398268,00.html|archive-date=3 July 2010}} Stephen Troussé, writing in Uncut, described the album as "anticlimactic" and "self-satisfied" and said that it suffered from "diminished horizons".{{cite magazine|title=M.I.A. – /\/\/\Y/\|magazine=Uncut|date=August 2010|issue=159|page=89|first=Stephen|last=Troussé}} Mehan Jayasuriya of PopMatters noted M.I.A.'s "self-aggrandizing" as a weakness, adding that Maya lacks "the focus and confidence of M.I.A.'s previous albums".{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/128085-m.i.a.-y/|title=M.I.A.: ///Y/|website=PopMatters|access-date=12 July 2010|first=Mehan|last=Jayasuriya|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223182351/http://www.popmatters.com/review/128085-m.i.a.-y/|archive-date=23 February 2014}} Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine noted that the album "has the feel of a vanity project" and wrote "It may be an above-average album, but its aesthetic matches her persona only at its shallowest levels, in the thinness of its ideas and the often-forceful ugliness of its message".{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/m-i-a-maya|title=MAYA – M.I.A.|website=Slant Magazine|access-date=12 July 2010|first=Jesse|last=Cataldo|date=12 July 2010 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619110734/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/m-i-a-maya|archive-date=19 June 2013}} Chris Richard of The Washington Post called it "a disorienting mix of industrial clatter and digital slush" and noted "there isn't much to sing along to".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071205117.html?hpid=sec-artsliving|last=Chris|date=13 July 2010|title=Album review: M.I.A.'s 'Maya,' missing in action|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=13 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110225343/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071205117.html?hpid=sec-artsliving|archive-date=10 November 2012}}

In December 2010, NME named "XXXO" and "Born Free" the number two and number 11 best tracks of the year respectively.{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/photos/75-best-tracks-of-2010/198421/1/1#66|title=75 best tracks of 2010: Born Free|work=NME|access-date=2 December 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203010640/http://www.nme.com/photos/75-best-tracks-of-2010/198421/1/1#66|archive-date=3 December 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/photos/75-best-tracks-of-2010/198421/1/1#75|title=75 best tracks of 2010: XXXO|work=NME|access-date=2 December 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203010640/http://www.nme.com/photos/75-best-tracks-of-2010/198421/1/1#75|archive-date=3 December 2010}} Maya appeared in a number of magazines' lists of the best albums of the year. The album was placed at number five on the "2010 Pitchfork Readers Poll" list of the "Most Underrated Album" of the year.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7892-2010-pitchfork-readers-poll/|title=2010 Pitchfork Readers Poll|work=Pitchfork|date=3 January 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111032651/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7892-2010-pitchfork-readers-poll/|archive-date=11 January 2011}} Spin placed Maya at number eight in its list of the best releases of 2010,{{cite web |url=http://www.spin.com/2010/12/40-best-albums-2010/101201-mia/ |title=The 40 Best Albums of 2010 |work=Spin |date=6 December 2010 |access-date=28 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610032536/http://www.spin.com/2010/12/40-best-albums-2010/101201-mia/ |archive-date=10 June 2016}} and Rolling Stone listed it at number 19 in its countdown.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/30-best-albums-of-2010-20101213/m-i-a-maya-19691231 |title=30 Best Albums of 2010 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=13 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426180809/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/30-best-albums-of-2010-20101213/m-i-a-maya-19691231 |archive-date=26 April 2011 |access-date=4 April 2011}}

In 2013, in light of recently leaked NSA documents that revealed the agency had been surveilling US citizens' internet use through Google and Facebook, M.I.A. made a Tumblr post saying she had correctly predicted this sort of spying in her song "The Message".{{Cite web |last=Fact |date=2013-06-20 |title=M.I.A. defends controversial /\/\/\Y/\ lyrics following NSA surveillance scandal |url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/06/20/m-i-a-defends-controversial-maya-lyrics-following-nsa-surveillance-scandal/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Fact Magazine |language=en-US}} Carrie Battan of Pitchfork noted that the then-widespread "criticisms of M.I.A.'s politically charged words and alleged paranoia" could now "seem just as silly as her lyrics once might have".{{Cite web |last=Battan |first=Carrie |date=2013-06-19 |title=M.I.A. Revisits Criticism of *///\Y/*'s "The Message" in Light of NSA Surveillance Revelations |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/51229-mia-revisits-criticism-of-ys-the-message-in-light-of-nsa-surveillance-revelations/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} On Maya's tenth anniversary, journalists opined that the album's "internet aversion and overstuffed sound" aged well and could be considered a precursor to the industrial distortion of albums like Yeezus (2013) by Kanye West.{{Cite web |last=Weiss |first=Dan |date=15 July 2020 |title=The Revenge of /\/\/\Y/\ |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/07/the-revenge-of-maya-m-i-a/ |access-date=25 September 2024 |website=Spin}}{{Cite web |last=Rettig |first=James |date=2020-07-07 |title=M.I.A.'s 'ΛΛ Λ Y Λ' Turns 10 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2089106/mia-maya-turns-10/reviews/the-anniversary/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}

Maya debuted at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart on first-week sales of 7,138 copies,{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Alan |url=http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storycode=1041874 |title=Eminem back on top |work=Music Week |date=19 July 2010 |access-date=11 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112080702/http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storycode=1041874 |archive-date=12 November 2013 |url-access=subscription}} 18 places higher than the peak position achieved by Kala, immediately making it M.I.A.'s highest-charting album in the UK.{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/mia/ |title=MIA |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=19 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414203739/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/MIA/ |archive-date=14 April 2012}} The following week it dropped out of the top 40.{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20100725/7502/ |title=2010 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive |publisher=Official Charts Company |date=31 July 2010 |access-date=26 July 2010}} It also charted in a number of other European countries, reaching the top 10 in Finland, Greece and Norway. In the United States, it debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200, nine places higher than the peak position achieved by Kala, although it sold only 28,000 copies in its first week of release, compared with the 29,000 which the earlier album sold in the same period.{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957271/eminems-recovery-tops-billboard-200-for-a-fourth-week |title=Eminem's 'Recovery' Tops Billboard 200 for a Fourth Week |magazine=Billboard |date=21 July 2010 |access-date=22 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527092313/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957271/eminems-recovery-tops-billboard-200-for-a-fourth-week |archive-date=27 May 2013}} Maya fell to number 34 in its second week on the chart, selling 11,000 copies.{{cite magazine |last=Herrera |first=Monica |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957162/mia-blasts-oprah-and-gaga-drops-on-billboard-200 |title=M.I.A. Blasts Oprah and Gaga, Drops on Billboard 200 |magazine=Billboard |date=28 July 2010 |access-date=30 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228232956/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957162/mia-blasts-oprah-and-gaga-drops-on-billboard-200 |archive-date=28 December 2013}} As of September 2013, the album had sold 99,000 copies in the US.{{cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/5680069/mia-matangi-fall-music-preview-2013 |title=M.I.A., 'Matangi': Fall Music Preview 2013 |magazine=Billboard |date=3 September 2013 |access-date=6 September 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908032346/http://www.billboard.com/articles/5680069/mia-matangi-fall-music-preview-2013 |archive-date=8 September 2013}} The album also topped Billboard{{'}}s Dance/Electronic Albums chart and reached the top five on two of the magazine's other charts. Maya also entered the top 10 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The single "XXXO" reached the top 40 in Spain and the UK,{{cite web |url=http://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=M.I.A.&titel=XXXO&cat=s |title=M.I.A. – XXXO |website=spanishcharts.com |access-date=5 August 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104205511/http://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=M.I.A.&titel=XXXO&cat=s |archive-date=4 January 2014}} and "Teqkilla" reached number 93 on the Canadian Hot 100 on digital downloads alone.{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=m.i.a.|chart=Billboard Canadian Hot 100}} |title=M.I.A. – Chart history: Billboard Canadian Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=31 July 2010}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = The Message

| writer1 = {{flatlist|

• Sugu Arulpragasam
• Steve Loveridge

}}

| extra1 = S. Arulpragasam

| length1 = 0:57

| title2 = Steppin Up

| writer2 = {{flatlist|

• Maya Arulpragasam
• Christopher Mercer
• Dave Taylor

}}

| extra2 = Rusko

| length2 = 4:01

| title3 = XXXO

| writer3 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Charles Smith
• Cherry Byron-Withers

}}

| extra3 = {{flatlist|

• Blaqstarr
• Rusko

}}

| length3 = 2:54

| title4 = Teqkilla

| writer4 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Mercer
• Taylor
• John Hill
• Byron-Withers

}}

| extra4 = {{flatlist|

• Rusko
• M.I.A.
• Switch
• Hill

}}

| length4 = 6:20

| title5 = Lovalot

| writer5 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Taylor
• Hill
• Opal Josephs
• Sheldon Pennicot
• Sekou Davis

}}

| extra5 = {{flatlist|

• M.I.A.
• Switch
• Hill

}}

| length5 = 2:50

| title6 = Story to Be Told

| writer6 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Mercer
• Taylor

}}

| extra6 = {{flatlist|

• Rusko
• M.I.A.

}}

| length6 = 3:32

| title7 = It Takes a Muscle

| writer7 = {{flatlist|

• Michael Mulders
• Henri Overduin

}}

| extra7 = Diplo

| length7 = 3:00

| title8 = It Iz What It Iz

| writer8 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Smith

}}

| extra8 = Blaqstarr

| length8 = 3:29

| title9 = Born Free

| writer9 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Taylor
• Martin Rev
• Alan Vega

}}

| extra9 = {{flatlist|

• Switch
• M.I.A.

}}

| length9 = 4:07

| title10 = Meds and Feds

| writer10 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Derek E. Miller

}}

| extra10 = {{flatlist|

• M.I.A.
• Miller

}}

| length10 = 3:09

| title11 = Tell Me Why

| writer11 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Wesley Pentz

}}

| extra11 = Diplo

| length11 = 4:11

| title12 = Space

| writer12 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Mercer

}}

| extra12 = {{flatlist|

• Rusko
• M.I.A.

}}

| length12 = 3:08

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japanese and deluxe edition bonus tracks{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/maya-deluxe-version-mr0002936209 |title=MAYA [Deluxe Version] – M.I.A. |website=AllMusic |access-date=4 January 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928004133/http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/maya-deluxe-version-mr0002936209 |archive-date=28 September 2016}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title13 = Internet Connection

| writer13 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Smith

}}

| extra13 = {{flatlist|

• M.I.A.
• Blaqstarr

}}

| length13 = 2:49

| title14 = Illygirl

| writer14 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Smith

}}

| extra14 = {{flatlist|

• M.I.A.
• Blaqstarr

}}

| length14 = 2:14

| title15 = Believer

| writer15 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Smith

}}

| extra15 = {{flatlist|

• M.I.A.
• Switch

}}

| length15 = 3:11

| title16 = Caps Lock

| writer16 = {{flatlist|

• M. Arulpragasam
• Smith

}}

| extra16 = Blaqstarr

| length16 = 3:58

}}

• "Lovalot" incorporates elements of "I Said It" by Opal.
• "It Takes a Muscle" is a cover of "It Takes a Muscle to Fall in Love" by Spectral Display.
• "Born Free" contains a sample from "Ghost Rider" by Suicide.
• "Tell Me Why" incorporates elements of "The Last Words of Copernicus" by the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers.
• "Internet Connection" incorporates a sample from Fonejacker.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the deluxe edition of Maya.{{cite AV media notes |title=Maya |type=deluxe edition liner notes |others=M.I.A. |year=2010 |publisher=N.E.E.T Recordings |id=XLCD497X}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• Maya Arulpragasam – mixing (tracks 1, 5, 12, 15); production (tracks 4–6, 9, 10, 12–15); art direction, creative direction, executive producer, photography
• Ben H. Allen – mixing (tracks 3, 11)
• Sugu Arulpragasam – production (track 1)
• Blaqstarr – production (tracks 3, 8, 13, 14, 16); mixing (tracks 13, 14, 16)
• Diplo – production (tracks 7, 11)
• Robert Gardner – mix assistance (tracks 3, 11)
• John Hill – production (tracks 4, 5)

{{col-2}}

• Jaime Martínez – photography
• Derek E. Miller – mixing, production (track 10)
• Aaron Parsons – art direction
• Neal Pogue – mixing (track 2)
• Rusko – production (tracks 2–4, 6, 12)
• Shane P. Stoneback – mixing (track 10)
• Switch – mixing (track 2); production (tracks 4, 5, 9); vocal production (track 15)
• Ravi Thiagaraja – photography

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

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Category:2010 albums

Category:Albums produced by Diplo

Category:Albums produced by John Hill (record producer)

Category:Albums produced by M.I.A. (rapper)

Category:Albums produced by Switch (songwriter)

Category:Avant-pop albums

Category:Interscope Geffen A&M Records albums

Category:Interscope Records albums

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Category:XL Recordings albums