M.I.A | Artist profile

About M.I.A

Mathangi Arulpragasam, known professionally as M.I.A., is a British singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and activist. She was born on 18 July 1975 in London to Sri Lankan Tamil parents. Her family moved to Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka when she was six months old. As a child, she experienced displacement caused by the Sri Lankan Civil War, which led her family to return to London as refugees when she was 11 years old. Her early life experiences influenced her artistic work. She began her career as a visual artist, filmmaker, and designer in 2000, and started recording music in 2002. She gained early recognition as an underground artist through the Internet, with singles such as 'Sunshowers' and 'Galang' in 2004. Her first two albums, 'Arular' (2005) and 'Kala' (2007), received critical acclaim for blending hip hop, electronic, and world music influences. Her music incorporates elements of alternative, dance, electronic, hip hop, and world music, utilizing electronic instruments and samples.