Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, better known by her stage name M.I.A. (both a play on her name and the military term- Missing in Action), is a British recording artist, songwriter, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent.
Her music combines world music with other elements including electronica, dance, alternative, and hip hop. Although she began her career in 2000 as a visual artist, filmmaker, and designer in London, M.I.A. started recording her own music in 2002.
Her single, "Paper Planes," reached the top 20 worldwide and #4 on the Bilboard Hot 100, not to mention it was ranked the seventh best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era.
In 2005, M.I.A. was artist of the year by Spin and URB and M.I.A. is named as one of the defining artists of the 2000s decade by Rolling Stone Magazine in its "Best of the Decade" list.
Defying existing conventions of the pop music world, M.I.A. incorporates political, social, philosophical, and cultural references into her lyrics.
NY Times 2-day Photo Shoot through the streets of NYC and Brooklyn
Ryan McGinley for The New York Times
M.I.A from a spread for NYLON Magazine
M.I.A.'s most recent single, "Bad Girls" comes from her Vicki Leekx mixtape. The song premiered on January 30 of this year. Check out the music video for "Bad Girls," directed by Romain Gavras.
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