M.I.A.
Kala
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Just two years ago, Maya Arulpragasam (under the name M.I.A.) became an international underground sensation with her debut album Arular. Toeing the line between revolutionary and rump-shaking, Maya gave pop music a third-world makeover, lending a voice to a segment of the world’s population that’s often under-represented and misunderstood in the West.Her follow-up, Kala, is no less intoxicating. Maya continues to embue her dance-heavy tracks with a social conscience, but this time around, the artist seems even more focused. Backed by producer Switch (and with help from Diplo, Blaqstarr and Timbaland), Maya’s culture-hopping style is given a cohesive and stirring backdrop. On Kala, The Pixies, world cinema and ragga beats are all given a place at the table: elements of “Where Is My Mind” meld into the thundering synthetic bass of “20 Dollar”; “Jimmy” is a catchy piece of reggae-fried disco; and opener “Bamboo Banga” lives up to its name as Maya proclaims, ”M.I.A coming back with power, power,” over a heady brew of Jonathan Richman and a soundtrack sample from the Tamil-language film Dalapathi. But it’s on the pensive “Paper Planes” that Maya really shines, eloquently relating a story of making visas over gunshots, cash register chimes and muted guitar feedback. Kala is the sound of the gap between East and West inching ever closer.
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 Record Label XL/Interscope Released August 2007 |
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M.I.A.
Bio[+]Maya Arulpragasam was born in London and moved with her family back to their native country of Sri Lanka when she was just six months old. Her father's involvement with EROS, a Tamil militant group, forced her back to London where she eventually attended art school. After filming a video for Britpop group Elastica, Arulpragasam began making music under the guidance of Justine Frischmann. Under the name M.I.A., Arulpragasam released her acclaimed first album Arular, in 2005. Her follow up album, Kala, was named for her mother.Merch
Kala (current page)
Bio[+]
Maya Arulpragasam was born in London and moved with her family back to their native country of Sri Lanka when she was just six months old. Her father's involvement with EROS, a Tamil militant group, forced her back to London where she eventually attended art school. After filming a video for Britpop group Elastica, Arulpragasam began making music under the guidance of Justine Frischmann. Under the name M.I.A., Arulpragasam released her acclaimed first album Arular, in 2005. Her follow up album, Kala, was named for her mother.Merch
Kala (current page)