The lyrics reference her Christian faith, after converting in 2022, with a press release for the track describing it as the artists “spiritual declaration”.

The verses include: “Holy spirit sing/ Angels with the wings/ The holy water dripping when I drink it from a spring/ And Jesus is king/ He’s got anointing/ When I’m on my knees he washes all my sins”

It’s her first new music since ‘Bells Collection’, her 2023 mixtape which featured contributions from Skrillex, Blaqstarr and Troy Barker.

The track has been released through her independent label OHMNI, which exists alongside her clothing brand of the same name, selling items that allegedly claim to “block electromagnetic frequencies” and “boost fertility” among other benefits – its most famous item is the ironically branded “tin foil hat”, said to supposedly block “99.99 per cent of Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G” from the brain.

The brand describes itself as “last frontier at preserving your privacy, autonomy, and rights over your body and your data,” and “the armour of the modern knight in the age of modern technological warfare.”

Over the past few years, the ‘Paper Planes’ hitmaker has divided her fanbase with controversial views and statements. She’s always been a socially conscious artist, speaking out against inequality and oppression of various groups, and partaking in philanthropic work.

But she’s received backlash for more recent opinions, including stating she’d rather “choose death” over a Covid-19 vaccine and pushing anti-vaxx messages. She’s also come under fire for political leanings – once an advocate for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, she backed a very different contender for the recent US presidential election, the now re-elected president Donald Trump.

Despite criticising him and his administration in 2017 as having “mental disorders”, she backed the controversial candidate during his run earlier this year. She tweeted in August that “Trump is going to ride America through the most challenging four years coming.” She also mixed religious and political rhetoric, writing that “RFK will inherit America when God is ready to replant and rebuild it righteously,” referencing Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has previously mentioned debunked claims about vaccinations.

Her new single is out on now on streaming platforms – you can listen on Spotify here.

Produced by Rex Kudo and T-Minus, the beat wouldn’t be an M.I.A song without feeling colossal. Simplicity and pure volume have been a tried and tested formula for M.I.A, but we now see perhaps a more introspective lyrical approach, giving insight into her fractured state of mind. Singing; “When you trying to find the one, why do you need reminding, no matter how you look at it, it’s me you keep finding”. However, her vocal delivery stays bracingly confident and her West London accent remains proudly unchanged. Have a listen to “The One” down below:

The new single is pulled from her upcoming album MATA which as of yet, has no official release date to speak of. Partnered with the legendary Island Records, M.I.A discussed what we may discover within the forthcoming album; “I think there’s a bit of a battle on the record. There is a bit of a clash, but the clash is, like, your ego and spirituality. Those are the clashes because, as a musician, you need some ego, otherwise you can’t do it. Also the genre of music that—genres I should say—is all very much like egocentric. It’s not like I’m an artist that came from gospel or something. For me, it was, like, to have that journey, and also, like, it was a significant time to discuss like Islamophobia… talking about wars in the Middle East and things like that.”

She went on to add; “My head has been in a totally different place…. Being a Tamil and being a Hindu, I was very comfortable that I’d arrived finding myself. Which is, I think, going to be weird for America to process. But I had a vision and I saw the vision of Jesus Christ. It’s very, creatively, it’s a very crazy thing because it turned my world upside down. Because everything I thought and believed was no longer, like, the case. And I think that was maybe a sign that something major was going to happen in the world- when I had this vision, it turned my world upside down. I kind of couldn’t let go of the Tamil side. I think that’s why 50% of the record is sort of like that. Because I’m still me. Like, that’s still my language. And those are still my tools to be able to create beats like that or a sound like that, you know. But I think the message was just to get to a peaceful place.”

BABYLON DROPS TOMORROW pic.twitter.com/6ilc6iuuZ1

— MATAverseANGI (@MIAuniverse) November 11, 2021

As well as making new music, M.I.A. has been active in other areas, namely the newly burgeoning market of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). NFTs allow artists to sell their work purely on a digital basis, giving a unique seal of ownership to one particular file so it has value above other copies, similar to how in physical art, only the original will fetch up a high price. This technology can be used to sell things such as online art, music or even gifs, stopping other online copies from having the same value since they lack a unique digital signature. To find out more, you can read an informative article here or see the video below. Suffice to say, it’s changed the relationship between the artist and their market, as well as the very idea of what can be seen as a sellable piece of work, with the likes of video clips on YouTube and tweets being sold for thousands and even millions of dollars. M.I.A. announced her involvement with the NFT market last April, using it to launch her NFT GARAGE DANCE series. Following this, she released her first-ever digital artwork, titled KALA COYN, which she first made back in 1996. Also, last Friday, M.I.A. auctioned off both “Babylon” and an extended version of her 2010 mixtape Vicki Leekx as NFTs, which you can again read about here.

In a recent interview with CoinDesk, M.I.A. says she auctioned Vicki Leekx as an NFT because “I always saw the “Vicki Leekx” mixtape as a piece of art rather than a piece of music, just because it was very serendipitous, of everything and events that was going on in the world.” She argues that people have been empowered by recent technological innovations, being freed financially. In response to accusations of environmental harm from the NFT market, she had this to say: “If you think about what’s happening in America right now… it’s sort of debatable what’s destroying the world and what’s not destroying the world…The military-industrial complex, the consumption of beef and the fashion industry are the top three polluters of this planet. So for us to be against NFTs, we also have to be against these things. It’s such a confusing area because it’s, like, shifting your priorities and your values to adjust to the time.”

As for M.I.A.’s future, a follow up to her 2016 album AIM is due for 2022, entitled Mata. She went to social media to explain the title choice, saying “To reflect what I am, and what we wanna build, I’m proud to announce, starting today, my LP is now Mata.” According to the Oxford Leaner’s Dictionaries, Mata can refer to a mother, or be “a title that is used before the name of a female Hindu spiritual leader or the mother or wife of a Sikh spiritual leader”. But in terms of the NFT technology, we’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store for the future, for both M.I.A. and other artists in general.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by M.I.A. (@miamatangi)

The singer-songwriter announced her 14-track, debut studio album ‘Access Denied‘ this week. The LP will be released on September 17th via Island Records and can be expected to be the perfect summer album.

‘Access Denied‘, which has been greatly anticipated, has also been teased through the release of a new single which came out on July 6th. Titled  ‘M.I.A.’ and featuring Kaash Paige, the new single titled, ‘M.I.A.’ is everything that could have been hoped for and more. It has also sparked high expectations for the full album. Prior to this latest single, Ray has also been busy this year, with the release of ‘Dark Skinned‘ and ‘Games‘ ft. Giggs.

Ray BLK (Rita Ekwere) helped describe the origins and idea behind ‘Access Denied‘, stating that it’s “my summer anthem as we’re released from lockdown. It’s just about escaping, or being with someone who feels like an escape, like you’re on holiday and just at peace, away from the noise. After being in lockdown for so long and being overwhelmed or feeling low, I’m ready to be out with the people I love the most in our element with this playing in the background as the soundtrack to our summer“.

“M.I.A.” will be featured on the upcoming studio album ‘Access Denied‘ along with ‘Dark Skinned‘ and ‘Games‘. The debut album therefore consists of a list of boast-worthy features – from Kaash Paige to Giggs, Stefflon Don, Kojey Radical and Suburban Plaza.

Ray BLK spoke to the Radio 1 Newsbeast about why it has taken a long period of time to produce her new album. She explained that “I am the same artist, but I’m a different person now“. The press release also allowed Ray to discuss the difficulties that are introduced with the exposure of fame and the multiple hardships artists face in the music industry. In comparison to these risks which easily take their toll on artists, Ray explained that she has had “a lot of fun” in the creation of ‘Access Denied‘:

“I’m not pretending to be somebody else. It wasn’t rushed. It’s been a blessing“.

Ray BLK also took to instagram in celebration of her new single, and commented that:

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment of releasing my debut album since I was 13 in the studio with MNEK learning how to write songs and knew for certain I wanted to be a singer”.

“Access Denied is for those who like myself, know disappointment too well and have learned to create boundaries as a coping mechanism for self protection. I’ve opened up about how the childhood I had made me guarded, how disappointing relationships made me fear love and how being told no so many times in the music industry kicked me down, but I got back up. I want people to listen to this record and value themselves enough to deny access to those who are undeserving, and to also value themselves enough to keep believing in themselves when they’re denied access to certain spaces and say yes to themselves when the world tells them no”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ray Blizzy (@rayblk)

Access Denied:

01 Blk Madonna
02 Lovesick
03 Smoke [ft. Kojey Radical]
04 25
05 Lauren’s Skit
06 Access Denied
07 Baggage
08 Games [ft. Giggs]
09 If I Die
10 MIA [ft. Kaash Paige]
11 Mine
12 Dark Skinned
13 Go-go Girl [ft. Suburban Plaza]
14 Over You [ft. Stefflon Don]

While awaiting the release of ‘Access Denied’ you can enjoy Ray BLK’s single  ‘M.I.A.’ below.

GIF THANKX pic.twitter.com/mXFhTjKpGy

— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) April 1, 2021

NFT which means non-fungible token is a new trend to sell art online. CBS explains: “think of an NFT as a unique proof of ownership over something you can’t usually hold in your hand — a piece of digital art, a digital coupon, maybe a video clip. Like the digital art itself, you can’t really hold an NFT in your hand, either — it’s a one-of-a-kind piece of code, stored and protected on a shared public exchange”.

Before M.I.A, other artists joined the NFT trend: Aphex Twin with the one-of-a-kind piece of art that has been sold for $128,000, Kings of Leon with their album ‘When You See Yourself’ or The Weeknd who sold his collection of new music and art last weekend. 

Following ‘Gifty 1’ will be the rapper’s first ever digital artwork from 1996 called ‘Kala Coyn’. M.I.A. described her upcoming auction in a statement: “KALA COYN and the GARAGE DANCE series is a living, breathing, psycho-spectral canvas that crystalizes this moment in time for me/ Visually, it’s a mind f*ck and embodies everything I’ve loved about the digital art arena. It’s only now that the appropriate gallery for my work finally exists.”

M.I.A is a singer, songwriter, record producer and an activist. In 2005 she released her debut album ‘Arular’ followed by six more albums and few hits songs like ‘Paper Planes’ from 2008 and ‘Bad Girls’ from 2012. 

You can check the full M.I.A.’s art collection here and reserve the price.

View this post on Instagram

Franchise T™️ 1

A post shared by M.I.A. (@miamatangi) on Oct 5, 2020 at 2:48pm PDT

2020 marks a return to music for M.I.A, who has in recent years been focussing on her political activism. The 45 year old musician is vocal in critiquing the Sri Lankan government and has provided much aid to those suffering within the country. Her music is often politically charged. For instance, Paper Planes was a comment on the prejudices and stereotypes that people have toward immigrants.

The catchy chorus ‘All I wanna do is [bang bang bang bang]// And a [click ka-ching]] And take your money’ is an example of M.I.A’s lyrical ability to use irony in making commentary about social issues. Her input on Franchise is, however, not quite so serious.

Her verse sees her rapping: ‘Golf buggy, Kawasaki// Catch a fish, sushi, maki// livin’life// London city, left the town (Ah)// Thug and Travis be the fam’. These slightly random lyrics have been criticised by listeners, to the point of someone starting a change.org petition to have M.I.A’s verse removed from the track!

Others have jumped to her defence, commenting on her Instagram: ‘MIA your verse was good, don’t let the haters get to you!’ and ‘…her verse was the only good thing in this song’. Regardless of the controversy, it is good to hear new music from M.I.A, who surely deserves the No.1 spot after all this time.

On another note, M.I.A’s biopic – an intimate documentary made up of hundreds of hours of personal footage of her – is coming to Netflix later this month. It is titled MATANGI/ MAYA/ M.I.A in reference to the several facets of her identity.

Matangi is her Sri Lankan birth name that was replaced with Maya when she and her family moved to England because ‘people had a hard time pronouncing it at school’. M.I.A, of course, is her musical moniker. The documentary is hitting Netflix screens on October 15th, so be sure to check it out if you want to find out more about M.I.A and her achievements.

“People be sleeping on me so much I feel like a mattress.” The English-Sri Lankan artist reclaims her throne in the very first line of the track, and it is such an exhilarating banger to listen to in the midst of the tedious social-distancing period.

“OHMNI W202091” is a perfect return to form for the M.I.A. that made us intrigued with her music at the beginning. The song is infused with the rapper’s renowned signatures: complaining-rapping styles, attacking hip-hop beats, and distorted electronic sound, not to mention such sassy and empowering lyrics.

About the track, the 44-year-old musician intended to drop it as a celebration of the 15^th anniversary of her 2005’s debut album Arular. “Happy Arular release day!!,” wrote M.I.A. on her Instagram post on the arrival of the track. See the post, which contains the single art by IKHYD2020 and complete lyrics, below.

ดูโพสต์นี้บน Instagram

Free music. https://www.patreon.com/mia OHMNI202091. Produced by M.I.A /MUNCHI @originalmunchi Happy Arular release day!! Cover by IKHYD2020. OHMNI 202091 OHMNI 202091 PEOPLE BE SLEEPING ON ME SO MUCH I FEEL LIKE A MATTRESS THEY BE GIVING TOO MUCH CREDIT TO THESE GIRLS THAT BE.. ACTRESS MY AVATAR FLOATING LIKE A SHOOTING STAR CAUGHT ON A DASH CAM OF A COP CAR B CAREFUL OF THE GAMES THAT’LL TAKE U TOO FAR WHAT U MANIFEST YOU SHOULD KEEP IT ON A PARR EQUAL TO THE PEOPLE SHINING LIKE RAH I BRING IT EVERY TIME KEEP IT 100 LIKE BRRRA SAVED UP LOADED PURE POWA FIRE EARTH AQUA AIR BEND-A YOU ON A MOUNTAIN, THIS IS THE LIGHTNING DIRECT THAT ENRG DON’T BE TROLLIN’ WHEN I HIT MY STRIDE IM GONNA GO IN YEA I GOT THE HAMMER THOR + ODIN LOKI TRYNU GET THE MODE IM IN IM A CROUCHING TIGER AND THE DRAGONS HIDIN ITS A FULL MOON + THE WOLVES ARE HOWLIN ILL NEVER BE A QUITTER YEAH THROW MY TOWEL IN THE GREATEST GLORY IS NOT NEVER FALLIN ITS HOW WE GET BACK UP AND KEEP IT MOVING LIFE CHANGING ITS A STRANGE THING ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT THE TIME GON BRING LIFE CHANGING ITS A STRANGE THING ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT THE TIME GON BRING BACK HOME BACK HOME (FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH) BACK HOME BACK HOME (YEA WE GOT THE SAUCE) BACK ON TRACK (IM ON A NEW LEVEL) YOU BETTER GO CHECK (I STILL BE THAT REBEL) QUEENS + KINGS THE BROWN GIRL SINGS BOYS IN THE BACK BY THE TARPAULIN WHOS HIRIN? WHAT THEY FIRING? THE CITY’S FULL A SHARKS SWIMMING WITH THE DOLPHIN ITS TIME FOR THE MAGIC LIKE IM MERLIN IVE BEEN CHOPPIN IT AND KICKING IT LIKE A SHAOLIN DARLIN THE FUN IS ALWAYS CALLIN AND MY CALLIN IS ALWAYS TO STOP YOU FALLIN IF YOU DO PICK YOU UP + KEEP IT MOVING ITS ONLY GLASS ON THE CELING ITS NOT CEMENT DON’T GET STUCK IN FEELINGS THE GREATEST GLORY’S NOT-NEVER FALLIN ITS HOW WE GET BACK UP AND KEEP ON MOVING BACK HOME BACK HOME (FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH) BACK HOME BACK HOME (YEA WE GOT THE SAUCE) BACK ON TRACK (IM ON A NEW LEVEL) YOU BETTER GO CHECK (I STILL BE THAT REBEL)

โพสต์ที่แชร์โดย MIA (@miamatangi) เมื่อ มี.ค. 22, 2020 เวลา 9:26am PDT

Elsewhere on the latest single and upcoming new music, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam (what a beautiful name!) launched a brand new channel to allow her fans get access to her music and creations on Patreon back in January. According to NME, the “Paper Planes” hitmaker said that Patreon is her new approach in music, which she planned to use as a platform to release “a new record and other creative projects”.

She also shared with Rolling Stones that Patreon allows her to “make so much stuff and record so many things that aren’t music and don’t fit on other platforms”. “I’ve tried all the other platforms and it’s like: this one is too mean and hateful, this one is too fake and self-obsessed, and this one just sells all your data to Cambridge Analytica… Hopefully, this one is going to be just right,” said M.I.A.

Patreon is an American-based membership platform that operates like a crowdfunding. The site has increasingly gained more popularity amongst content creators (i.e. YouTubers, podcasters, and other creative earners), but it has not been quite favoured for musicians.

For the M.I.A. page on the site, the “Bad Girls” rapper gives her subscribers with two options: a $5 (Arular) tier and a $10 (Kala) tier. In addition, the subscriptions will also provide access to unreleased footage from M.I.A.’s documentary, MATANGA/MAYA/M.I.A., together with exclusive art, livestream archives, fan forums, and video diaries. There’s more: those who subscribe to the Kala tier will get to join the rapper in a Q&A session every month and an on-time livestream, along with early access to her exclusive content.

She also promised that her sixth studio album, rumoured to be called Vision, will be dropped within this year. Despite her focus on giving off her stuff on Patreon, she said that the forthcoming LP will be released via a normal record label like her previous albums.

So far London Grammar and M.I.A have been confirmed as toppers of the bill, with the festival set to take place from August 2-5, at Dorset’s Lulworth Estate. M.I.A will close the show, with the Nottingham trio performing the night before. Both performances will be festival exclusives for both bands over the course of summer 2018, and tickets are on sale now.

Jorja Smith- fresh off the back of a breakthrough year in 2017, will headline the Big Top on the first night of the festival. On top of this, Smith was recently confirmed as the Critics Choice for 2018 BRIT Awards.

Elsewhere on the bill, there is the traditional mix of the new and the classic, with fellow musical breakthroughs Mura Masa, Kelela, and Steflon Don taking to the stage over the course of the festival, contrasting nicely with the classics, such as Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, and a DJ set from dance icons Faithless to boot. You can see the full list of performers below.

Castle Stage: London Grammar / M.I.A. / Grace Jones / Plan B / Chaka Khan / Special Guest / Mura Masa / Sundara Karma / Thundercat / Jimmy Cliff / David Rodigan & The Outlook Orchestra / Stefflon Don / Kojey Radical / Dubioza Kolektiv / Gentleman’s Dub Club / Songhoy Blues / The Cuban Brothers / IDLES / This Is the Kit / Chaka Demus & Pliers / OMG! It’s the Church / L.A. Salami / Son of Dave

Big Top: Jorja Smith / Django Django / IAMDDB / Kelela / Mike Skinner & Murkage pres. Tonga: Holy Goof, Donea’o & Jaykae / Mabel / Not3s / Kojo Funds / Charlotte de Witte / Agoria (Live) / Ghetts / Mr Jukes / Casisdead / Lotto Boyzz / Sink the Pink / Phil Taggart pres. Slacker: Ratboy, Shame, Superfood, Black Honey, Confidence Man, Touts & whenyoung / We Are Scientists / Nilüfer Yanya / House Gospel Choir – Frankie Knuckles Special / Hak Baker /Adrian Sherwood / Caravãna Sun / Grace Carter / Mellah / The Correspondents / Kitty, Daisy & Lewis/ Blossom Caladron / Beans on Toast / Dutty Moonshine Band / Digital Love: A Tribute to Daft Punk / London Astrobeat Orchestra Perform Talking Heads / Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana / Park Hotel

HMS Bestival (AKA The Port): Faithless (DJ set) / East 17’s Christmas Party / Jaguar Skills / Chali 2na & Krafty Kuts / So Solid Crew, Wookie & Matt Jam Lamont, Shogun Audio pres. Alix Perez, Technimatic, Pola & Bryson, Glxy & SP:MC & Visionobi / Bez’s Acid House / Stanton Warriors / Big Freedia / DJ Brace / Jodie Harsh & Friends / Kiddy Smile / Savage / Schlachthofbronx / Buttmitzvah