M.I.A. began recording her second album
Kala in 2006 while still on tour, piecing together the album in various locations across the United States, Liberia, Jamaica, and Japan.
Kala featured a louder and heavier style than its predecessor, once again turning a cacophony of international influences into powerful alternative hip-hop that manages to be both club-friendly and politically conscious at the same time, often touching on themes of urban poverty, racism, and third-world strife. Standout tracks from Kala include
"Boyz",
"Bird Flu", and
"Paper Planes". "Paper Planes" - which samples a guitar riff by
The Clash - has proven to be her most successful single to date, rising to #4 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2008 after its inclusion in the trailer for the hit comedy
Pineapple Express.
Maya toured in support of
Kala throughout the first half 2008, ending her rigorous international touring schedule during the
2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival to begin working on her third record. M.I.A. currently lives in the colorful Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City, and is working on a number of film and fashion projects in addition to her highly anticipated third album.
From Discogs:British singer, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer and visual artist born in Hounslow, London in July 17, 1977.
From Lastfm:There are five known artists under this name:
(1) Mathangi ?Maya? Arulpragasam, a British alternative dance musician and graphic artist of Tamil descent.
(2) An 80?s American punk/hardcore band
(3) An Argentinian progressive folk collective
(4) An alias of Raphael Merriweathers Jr.
(5) An alias of Michaela Grobelny
(1) Mathangi ?Maya? Arulpragasam, (born 17 July 1977 in Hounslow, London, U.K.) is a British artist of Sri Lankan descent. As a baby she moved with her family to their native Sri Lanka, where her father became increasingly politically active in militant activities. As the Civil War escalated the rest of the family was forced to flee as refugees, first to India and then the UK. ?M.I.A.? [?Missing In Action?] references both her London neighborhood (Acton) and her politically tumultuous youth.
Her style contains elements of hip-hop, reggae, alternative, dance hall, electro and baile funk and is strongly inspired by her Sri Lankan background.
(2) American Punk/Hardcore band formed in Orange County, CA in 1981 by Chris Moon, drums; Mike Conley, bass; Nick Adams, guitar (all previously of Las Vegas, NV punk band The Swell); and Art Carasco, vocals. Their sound was generally hardcore and thrasher, though they produced more melodic and progressive sounds in their later albums. Allmusic called the band "one of the 50 best So-Cal punk bands of the great early-'80s second wave explosion. In 1984 they signed a deal with the cult Alternative Tentacles label, after the label's founder, Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, saw them play at a secret illegal punk nightclub in Las Vegas. Biafra was impressed by Mike Conley's distinctive voice, saying "The minute you hear a song with him singing you know it's him." They released the album Murder in a Foreign Place on Alternative Tentacles in 1984, followed in 1985 by Notes From the Underground on National Trust Records, and in 1987 by After the Fact on Flipside Records. The band split up in 1988. In 2001, Alternative Tentacles released Lost Boys, a 37-song retrospective of the band's work, including Last Rites, Murder in a Foreign Place, and several additional tracks. On February 28, 2008 vocalist Mike Conley was found dead in a Chicago hotel parking lot. Conley was taken to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, where he was pronounced dead at 6:25 a.m. On April 27, 2008, there was a secret warm-up show at Detroit Bar featuring Todd Sampson of Self Abuse and Samson's Army on vocals, Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys on guest vocals, Chris Moon and Larry Pearson on drums, Nick Adams on guitar, and Bob Thomson on bass. The next day, the "Beautiful Noise" benefit show took place at the Anaheim House of Blues with Jigsaw, Naked Soul, Cadillac Tramps, Social Distortion and MIA with the same lineup as the previous night, but adding Kevin Seconds of 7 Seconds on guest vocals. The proceeds of "Beautiful Noise" went to Mike Conley's family.
(3) Formed in the mid 70s, Independent Musicians Associated (MIA) was a group of musicians, technicians and drawers gathered together by Lito and Liliana Vitale?s parents. They produced their own records and concerts in an independent way. Their music is a complex symphonic rock with definite Argentinean/latin folk influence with multiple chorals and vocals beautifully contrasting with the keyboards and a great guitar sound upon a strong rhythmic section. They were highly influenced by symphonic music, more noteworthy by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant and Focus.
(4) Merriweathers is a member of Underground Resistance under the alias of The Unknown Soldier.
(5) mia's page (Michaela Grobelny).
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From Wikipedia:Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (Tamil: ??????? '????' ?????????????; born 18 July 1975), better known by her stage name M.I.A., is a British songwriter, record producer, singer, rapper, fashion designer, visual artist, and political activist.
An accomplished visual artist by 2002, M.I.A. came to prominence in early 2004 through file-sharing of her singles "Galang" and "Sunshowers" on the Internet. She released her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Arular in 2005. Her second album, Kala, was released in 2007 along with the single "Boyz" obtaining Gold status in Canada and the U.S. (RIAA-certified) and Silver status in the UK according to the BPI. "Paper Planes", a track from this album became a chart favourite in 2008. Her third album, Maya was released in 2010 with the single "XXXO", and reached the top ten in numerous countries worldwide. She has embarked on three worldwide headlining tours. She has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.
Her compositions have been noted to encompass various genres, often with political lyricism and artwork. M.I.A. has described her music style as being "other". Her work as a graphic designer, providing artwork and photography for releases and as a director of music videos has garnered similar recognition and in 2008 M.I.A. released a collection of her fashion designs. She is the founder of the multimedia label N.E.E.T. In 2009, Time magazine placed M.I.A. in its annual Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.