M.I.A.

Born Mathangi Arulpragasam on 18 July 1975 in London, M.I.A. is a British-Sri Lankan rapper, singer, and producer known for blending hip-hop, electronic, dancehall, and global club music with politically charged lyrics and a DIY aesthetic. She first emerged with the mixtape Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1 (2004), and released her debut album Arular (2005), followed by the internationally acclaimed Kala (2007), featuring the hit “Paper Planes,” then Maya (2010), which leaned into darker, industrial and experimental sounds, Matangi (2013), which returned to more rhythmic and melodic fusion styles, AIM (2016), reflecting digital-era politics and global identity, and MATA (2022), continuing her politically charged, genre-blurring approach. In 2026, she returned with the Christian-themed album M.I.7, featuring the Sunday Service Choir.