Contents
M.I.A.
Combining rap, electronic music and a refugee’s perspective in Paper Planes.
Kala · Arular
- Born
- 18 July 1975
- Birthplace
- Hounslow, London, England
More people
M.I.A.
M.I.A. is a British rapper, singer and visual artist of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. Her music combines sampled sounds and electronic production with themes of borders, displacement and power, drawing on an international childhood.
Early life
Sri Lankan childhood
Born in London, she moved to Sri Lanka as an infant and experienced displacement during the civil war.
Return to London
Returned with her family as refugees and later studied at Central Saint Martins.
Career
- 2000–2002
Visual work
Worked in art, design and film before developing her own recordings.
- 2003–2005
Musical breakthrough
Released Galang and the album Arular as her work spread online.
- 2007–2008
International success
Kala and Paper Planes brought a wider audience.
- 2010s–2020s
Further albums
Continued recording and creating visual work, including Matangi, AIM and Mata.
Selected work
Arular
A debut album mixing dance rhythms, rap and electronic production.
Paper Planes
Combines a Clash sample with a provocative refrain about stereotypes of immigrants.
Bad Girls
A single paired with a widely discussed video featuring car stunts in a desert setting.
Beyond work
Visual practice
Design and moving images remain integral to her public work.
Public advocacy
Has spoken about refugees, Tamil experiences and the consequences of war.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Interscope Records. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
