M.I.A

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A., was born in London in 1977.Although M.I.A. has become a musical success, she was not always destined to follow the musical path.

M.I.A. studied the arts at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, and looked set to become a successful artist when her work was published in 2001 in an art studio in Portobello, London.

Her introduction to music came after she was commissioned to do the artwork for Elastica’s second album, ‘The Menace.’ While following the band on tour in America she met the singer, Peaches, who introduced her to the Roland MC-505. Once back in London, M.I.A. continued to experiment with the processor and eventually recorded a demo. Producer Steve Mackey got hold of the promo and edited the track ‘Galang’ which propelled M.I.A. into the spotlight.

The success of the limited edition single was instrumental in securing her signing to XL Recordings. M.I.A. claims to have chosen the label because they were the only ones to offer her total creative control.

The video for, ‘Gallang,’ drew in all of M.I.A.’s artistic inspirations of London and the war in home country of Sri Lanka.

Following 2003’s ‘Gallang,’ M.I.A. released the single, ‘Sunshowers,’ in 2004 which won her a new audience across the Atlantic. She consequently released a mix tape at the end of 2004 which she put together with the DJ, Diplo.

It wasn’t until the beginning of 2005 however that she released her debut solo album, ‘Arular.’ The album received world wide critical acclaim, and the artist went on to perform a number of key shows as a result. Her most notable performances were at the Glastonbury Festival and Coachella in California.

The strength of M.I.A.’s debut album was rewarded with a Mercury Music prize nomination in 2005.
She then went on to complete a succesful support slot with  Gwen Stefani on her 2006 Harajuku Tour across America.

Following the conclusion of her supporting role, M.I.A. went into the studio to record her new album, ‘Power Power,’ which is set for release early in 2007. Fans were given a taster of the album - which is reported to have been produced solely by M.I.A. herself – when the artist released the song ‘Bird Flu’ on her myspace in February 2007.