Back in June, M.I.A. set off rumors of an early retirement by announcing that her show at Bonnaroo would be her last show ever. Many were skeptical, but in August, she reiterated that she had no intention of returning to the music industry:

[Bonnaroo] was my last-ever show. And it still is. I stopped touring after that and I didn't want to make music again. I was quite happy to just leave it all behind. I was happy with what I had achieved.

As their hearts sank into their scuffed Converse Chuck Taylors, by early September, fans and music industry bloggers alike finally blew out the torch for their darling M.I.A.

This past Saturday, however, M.I.A. came out of retirement for a brief set at the Diesel xXx Party in New York City, and she brought along a surprise guest, whom we shall call “Mini M.I.A.”

M.I.A. showed off her lovely new lady lump at the Diesel party in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, a show that also featured Franz Ferdinand, T.I., Chaka Khan and N.E.R.D. … continue reading

We've acknowledged it before: Rock stars have superb senses of style. That must be why several of them have wanted to see us mimic their styles, while also turning a profit.

Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon is the latest rock lady to make a foray into fashion. She recently launched her line, Mirror/Dash, with friends/designers Melinda Wansbrough and Jeffrey Monteiro.

What's special about Mirror/Dash is that the items will be limited edition, so the first piece (an awesome military-inspired jacket) will only be available to 50 consumers via the website for a cool $415. … continue reading

Earlier this week, Björk issued a statement that took the Icelandic publication The Reykjavik Grapevine to task for crediting Valgeir Sigurðsson with writing the arrangements on her 2001 album, Vespertine. The singer responded to the news item in a detailed statement that includes a list of the album’s credits. Björk wants to make the music press accountable for perpetuating the perception that men turn all the knobs in the production of electronic music.

Her full post appears on her website. The excerpt here gives one of four reasons why the misunderstanding around crediting continues to persist.

I´ll admit that one thing could confuse things: people have to use their ears and actually read the creditlist[sic] to get this information. all the music i have made: like for example string arrangements, synthbasslines [sic] or programming of electronic patterns, i never play myself live because i want to give 100% of myself into the singing i either ask the computers to play it or i get other musicians to play it. this could confuse things.

She also makes reference to a journalistic incident with M.I.A., the London-based Sri Lankan electro artist, citing Pitchfork Media’s insinuation that her musical partner at the time, Diplo, was responsible for her sophomore release, Kala. … continue reading

Hipsters have been mad for British electro-rock singer songwriter M.I.A. since she released her debut album Arular in 2004. Now, four years, another album and endless critical praise later, M.I.A. has finally scored a Billboard hit and it’s thanks to a television commercial.

M.I.A.’s song “Paper Planes,” from her 2007 album Kala, is that catchy song you hear every time a trailer comes on television for Pineapple Express, the new Judd Apatow-penned comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. “Paper Planes” shot to the middle of Billboard’s Hot 100 and cracked the iTunes Top 20 after that spot aired — even though the song isn’t included anywhere in the movie itself.

M.I.A. is just the latest of countless indie artists who crack the mainstream via commercials. Pop songs and commercials have always gone hand in hand, but big corporations once only banked on bona fide hit makers. In 1987, The Beatles’ “Revolution” was used to pimp Nike shoes. Just a few years before, Carly Simon’s “Anticipation” sold Heinz ketchup. There used to be endless debates about artist integrity: Was it tacky for big name musicians to sell their tunes to corporations? How much money did these people need?

Nowadays, clever ad execs are using more obscure artists to peddle their goods. The results are big time attention for little known acts that wouldn’t otherwise receive airtime on the radio. Having a debate about the evils of selling out for these upstarts isn’t as relevant when you consider independent artists on small labels have no way to crack the mainstream. Most of them don’t have megabucks either so getting paid to have your song heard on TV could be a very attractive deal. … continue reading

Last Friday at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee, UK rapper M.I.A. announced not once, not twice, but three times, that festival-goers were witnessing her last show ever.

Some sources had already predicted that she would be retiring to concentrate on her clothing line, which will include "bomber jackets, leggings & T-shirts," featuring "bold bright hues & graphic prints." (Epileptics beware.)

Oh, don't cringe, my pretties. Remember, what's old is new. Let's take a brief history of fashion trends in the last ten years. In the late 90s, bell bottoms from the 70s came back, except instead of calling them "bell bottoms," marketers named them "flares" and hoped no one would notice. Then, in the early to mid 2000s, wearing the green alligator became acceptable again, inspiring a new generation of bois and baby dykes to pop their collars. Then the much-maligned style known as "tapered jeans" became trendy again, probably because some genius decided to call them "skinny jeans." Now we're barreling towards the late 80s with the resurgence of aviator shades. So M.I.A. is right on time. Darling, your time is now. Full steam ahead! It's American Apparel on LSD (or Salt n' Pepa circa 1987.)

But wait – haven't we seen this before? Rappers who "retire" to concentrate on convincing the masses that they not only want to buy their records but they also want to be their walking clones? … continue reading

Despite her time on the US homeland security watch list, rapper M.I.A. (nee Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam) has a new album out in the States today, and it's just the way she wants it.

"Progression for me wasn't about going through the shine machine and coming out with more lipgloss," M.I.A. says of her journey to make Kala (Interscope), in a recent Guardian story. There was plenty of temptation along the way, with folks like Timbaland advising her on how to be "huge" and Three 6 Mafia suggesting she sing about sex, but the stubborn star wants none of it. Instead, she outspokenly declares that she doesn't care about the charts or the fame and instead wants to be a "useful human being."

M.I.A. started stirring up controversy and good buzz a couple of years ago, with mixtape Piracy Funds Terrorism and the full-length Arular. One of the singles off of that album, "Sunshowers," exemplifies M.I.A.'s unique mash-up of danceable beats and attitude — the line "Like PLO I don't surrendo" got the video banned from MTV's rotation, but the music is irresistible. … continue reading