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.

Earlier in the year, Harris had tweeted that he had “worked with the greatest artists of our generation !!!” on the LP, and today the full, extensive list of artists has been revealed.

I worked with the greatest artists of our generation !!! I'm in the mixing stage now. I listen back and can't believe what we created !!!!!

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) February 15, 2017

Music fans will have been unable to escape the album’s first track ‘Slide’, featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, as well as ‘Heatstroke’ With Young Thug, Pharrell, and Ariana Grande. Now, a new single has been teased along with the album’s announcement, which appears to feature Future and Khalid.

How I made Slide pic.twitter.com/dwu1NgVwFL

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) March 19, 2017

The rest of the album’s features include Travis Scott, Kehlani Katy Perry, Big Sean, John Legend, Schoolboy Q, D.R.A.M., Nicki Minaj, Lil Yachty, Jessie Reyez, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Snoop Dogg, in what is quite possibly the most guest-laden album of recent years.

ALBUM COMING JUNE 30 pic.twitter.com/zHJpBRdpqq

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) May 9, 2017

There has been no confirmation as of yet as to whether there will be a Funk Wav Bounces Vol.2, or indeed if there is a Funk Wav Bounce anthology in the works, but the hype is already building, as Calvin Harris continues his one man mission to dominate the airwaves for the summer.