M.I.A Biography: All about the singer and the documentary "Matangi / Maya / M.I.A"

M.I.A. (Matangi / Maya). - British rap artist, producer and activist! Her compositions are full of vivid political and philosophical references, which attracted so much attention to her persona... As for her musical style M.I.A.then he is unique! The creativity of this strong-willed woman combines such directions as dancehall, electro, hip-hop, pop....

Mia is the first artiste of South Asian descent to be nominated for a Oscars and Grammys in the same year! And according to the influential publication Rolling Stone, - M.I.A.. is one of the defining musicians of our time! The singer is also one of the hundred most influential people of the 21st century. It's no coincidence that she was awarded Order of the British Empire... We offer to learn her unique and by no means fun story of formation (we'll also talk about the film "Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.")…

Who is M.I.A.?

Watching Steve Loveridge's documentary. "Matangi / Maya / M.I.A."you just can't help but be transported back to a time October 2004to suddenly realise that there's something that links you to the Mayey Arulpragamas.

We only had twenty minutes for Maya's second American interview, and at that point I couldn't even expect anything more than a quick conversation with an aspiring musician who had already begun to reveal her highly implausible backstory. She was happy to talk and I was happy to listen, it looked as if I would be able to get my questions answered quickly and get back to my daily routine. However, unexpectedly, the clearly regulated dialogue between a journalist and a pop star turned into an intimate conversation filled with personal stories and amusing anecdotes.

You had to recognise and process the details of the story in time, correctly interpreting controversial phrases and selecting analogues familiar to your worldview. This is where the first problem arose - the difficulty of perceiving the peculiarities of the immigrant way of life. Despite all the differences between boys from the Eastern Bloc and girls from South Asia, emphasising the stay of migrants in Western cities, our feelings and emotions coincide.

 

Many of the stories Maya shared with me almost fourteen years ago on that unusually warm October Saturday would become cornerstones of her development as a person.

- NPR Music Editor Peter Orlov

Birth in Sri Lankadifficult relationship with her father, difficult financial situation, flight to London, dance and music classes to maintain their own national identity.....

All these factors came together to form an organic and coherent artist with his own views on music and art in general.

At that time, universal fatigue Mayi was quite distinct, manifested in a variety of factors, which some saw as a marketing hypeand others as totally obscene for aspiring stars (especially dark-skinned) behaviour. The situation was complicated by a recent incident 11 September 2001.. In her statements about the tragedy, the artiste was both cautious and careless, and was in a particularly agitated state.

"I want to evolve in several directions," she said at the end of the interview. "I'm both a politician and a pop singer and... someone who is confused and still can't decide on her own identity. I'm just trying to reflect all the reflections and experiences in creativity while still being myself. And that's not usually what the industry allows you to do. I represent refugees and I will always be their voice. These are roots that I will never forget, that I will never give up. But I'm also proud of the life experience I've had in the UK, appreciative of the opportunities this country has given me. I try to use all the resources to the maximum to get the really important things across. It's just a matter of deciding what I want to tell the world.

At the time. M.I.A.. could not yet boast an abundance of musical material. All she had was a couple of singles and a provocative mixtape "Piracy Funds Terrorism"recorded in conjunction with DJ Diplo. However, the social networks that were actively developing at the time provided the necessary support, literally erasing all boundaries: national, cultural, musical.

M.I.A. was a real revolutionary breakthrough of the period

In the last interview (which was subsequently shortened to 5,000 words and published in the journal "The Late, Great Arthur Magazine") Maya noted that her history and life position were in conflict, becoming important elements of the music industry. Although her behaviour has always been revolutionary, it has remained rather naïve.

The combination of these opposites set a successful start to a career M.I.A.., formed the basis for the biographical portrait in Loveridge's painting.

"Matangi / Maya / M.I.A." - It is about the constant tension inherent in the lives of migrants, about the eternal choice between inherited traditions and assimilated values.

And in the case of Maya these circumstances become particularly poignant and extreme because her father is the founder of an insurgency that organised mass suicide bombings and sought to reshape the political arena.

M.I.A will never boast an ordinary story.

Most of the film's footage was shot by the performer herself, which allows you to feel her character in detail, to get information "first-hand". The rest of the sketches were filmed by Loveridge, who directed the project "Matangi / Maya / M.I.A." at every stage of production. Being a close friend of Maya, he tried to recreate a whole and truthful personality portrait.

Although the documentary is not chronologically sequential, it is endowed with a vivid visual component, a through line - the trip M.I.A. to Sri Lanka in 2001.

She went there to simultaneously document the plight of the Tamils during the Civil War, her family's history, and her fascinating journey of self-discovery.

This storyline concludes and the viewer is transported ten years into the future. M.I.A.. standing on stage in Super Bowlafter an hour and a half of performance with Madonna. Events begin to unfold all too quickly: the singer demonstrates her attitude towards the system ("That's what I do!"), faces NFL court officials, and then, after getting out of the Super BowlHe goes to the hotel room, where he curls up on the sofa, perplexed by his own actions ("What have I done?").

Childhood, the beginning of the journey...

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam born in July 1975 London, but spent most of her childhood in the north of the sunny Sri Lankans. When in 1980s civil war between the Tamil minority in the north and the Sinhalese government in the south intensified, her father joined the militant Tamil Tigers, and the rest of her family fled the Sri Lankanseventually returning to London. There, Arulpragasam studied fine art. She often created artworks influenced by the conflict she witnessed as a child. She was first introduced to the music industry as a graphic designer for a British pop-punk band. Elasticaand familiarised herself with the recording equipment used by dance music producers.

Calling himself M.I.A.., she recorded a single "Galang." in 2003.

Although there were only 500 copies of the songIt became an instant hit on the European club scene! Soon rumours spread on the internet about the unique fusion of politically conscious world music, hip-hop with bass notes, and South London dancehall....

Creativity

Creativity M.I.A. has always aimed to tell people about the lives of refugees and migrants and their tragic experiences. These issues are particularly vivid in her main hit, which became a nominee for the "Leftfield Grammy"The main thing to know about Maya's pop music is that it has always been closely intertwined with personal and political motives. The main thing to know about Maya's pop music is that it has always been closely intertwined with personal and political motives.

Her fans' anticipation for a full-length album has been heightened with the release of the mixtape Piracy Funds Terrorism 2004produced by an American producer. Diplo. Although snippets from the debut album. M.I.A. 2005 circulated on the internet for almost a year, its release still attracted a lot of critical interest. Album title, Arular, - was the name her father took when he was a Tamil Tiger. The album cover featured the face of the very M.I.A., surrounded by a collage of cartoon tanks and AK-47s. The collection brought the singer great success, thanks in large part to the singles "Galang." и "Bucky Done Gun."!

The second album, titled Kalawas released in 2007. Guest producers were involved: Diplo and American hip-hop icon Timbaland. More aggressive and sample-rich than its predecessor, Kala spawned the hit . "Paper Planes."! The track was a huge breakthrough not only for the M.I.A.but also for the DJ Diplo... It was later used in the trailer for the Judd Apatow film "Pineapple Express.

In 2009, M.I.A.. was nominated for an Academy Award for her song. "O Saya."which was born out of a collaboration with Indian composer A. R. Rahman and became a soundtrack "Slumdog Millionaire." (2008)

The hit single "Paper Planes." was unexpectedly nominated for a Grammy Award for Record Track of the Year! Sama Miawho was nine months pregnant and due to give birth on the day of the Grammy Awards in February. 2009she performed with rappers TI, Jay-Z и Kanye West and provided one of the most memorable images of the ceremony (she gave birth to a baby boy three days later). This widespread publicity gave the singer the opportunity to express her support for humanitarian aid to civilians in the Tamil region of Sri Lanka. However, critics argued that her lyrics and music videos betrayed an underlying sympathy for the militant Tamil separatist movement...

Issued in 2013 album Matangi was received more positively. The main hit single from it was the song "Bad Girls.".

In 2020, M.I.A. released a new single titled "OHMNI 202091."

https://youtu.be/SRd2NQwALn8

Interesting facts about the singer

• Curiously enough. Maya and her sister Kali got their names in honour of the Mahavidyas (tantric goddesses in Hinduism).
• The future star's father studied to be an engineer in Moscow, and his mother worked for the royal family: a woman sewed medals on tunics, for which she received a good fee!
• According to the facts - about M.I.A.. became known to a wider audience thanks to a DJ Diplo! Unfortunately, at one point these two ended any relationship... Due to this, all previously known information about their relationship was even removed from "Wikipedia".....
• After the release of the album. "Arular." to Mayi countless accusations flew... Many people saw the lyrics of the album as supporting terrorist organisations! Because of this, the singer was even banned from entering the USA (for almost a year).
• M.I.A. is the author not only of her songs, but also of music videos! The singer composes all the scripts herself....
• "Buraka Som Sistema's." - a rare video in which Maya dancing and singing in Angola!

Conclusion

In his film, Loveridge goes tricky: he shows footage of Maya being cross-examined by CBC Radio just after the Bill Maher show aired.

Then in the HBO studio there was a real fierce confrontation, not devoid of offensive barbs and provocations. "Why are you acting like Mick Jagercoming from a small island nation?" - the presenter openly trolled the artiste. The tension level was rapidly rising, and the participants of the dialogue did not hesitate to get personal. In general, the cut presented by Loveridge, depicts a cornered woman who is attacked from all sides by men, reproaching her gender and sexuality and insincerity.

In one of the quiet scenes, of which there are not many in the film, the viewer sees a dejected Mayuwho shares her most intimate experiences and concerns. Talking about a difficult period in the music industry, she complains of fatigue from "the whole pop world" and reports a career break. She is willing to trade the most prestigious concert stages and halls for a job as a "marine engineer" rescuing refugees on the high seas.

It's an ironic directorial move to include a video cut to the first and last scene of the film, where Maya takes over the boat flotillas. Except it's not the promised marine engineer's job, it's just the filming of a new music video "Borders.".