“Day to Day” profiles missing in action M.I.A.

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NPR’s excellent news magazine “Day to Day,” leads today’s broadcast with a comprehensive audio profile of M.I.A.:

…music critic Christian Bordal relates the inspirational story of M.I.A — a young hip-hop artist who grew up in Sri Lanka and South London. Her music bridges the gap between her war-torn past and her urban present…M.I.A says she had an idyllic childhood until the civil war intervened — her father joined the Tamil fighters, and she and the rest of her family relocated to Britain, settling in a housing project in the south end of London. She blossomed in art school as a teen, and developed her own unique style of music — a "do-it-yourself" aesthetic inspired by the British club scene, with stripped-down bass and drum rhythms driving catchy melodies. [NPR]

Meanwhile, BoingBoing reports that her father’s ties to the ’Tigers may have caused her to miss a scheduled appearance in Seattle:

…reader Pablos says: "M.I.A. was scheduled to perform at Chop Suey in Seattle tonight. Apparently she is having some kind of Visa trouble and her show has been cancelled." Some speculate the incident may relate to her father’s affiliation with a Sri Lankan rebel group designated as a terrorist organization by the US. No news on her site or newsfeeds yet, but she’s also scheduled to play at SXSW this week. [BoingBoing]

Previous posts: M.I.A. signs with Interscope, M.I.A.: step up to blow up, Steel balls and pots, M.I.A. looked directly into my eyes!, and Military chic

5 thoughts on ““Day to Day” profiles missing in action M.I.A.”

  2. It’s a scary thought, that mainland Indian-Tamils, otherwise known as Tamilians (as opposed to Sri Lankan Tamils), could potentially be targetted along with S.L Tamils for connections with the LTTE by a myopic DHS if and when a dragnet for that “designated terrorist organization” begins. It’s a plausible scenario, and it scares the living excrement out of me.

  4. apparently she had some trouble with her exits & entrances, not uncommon and from what I hear, it’s been resolved and had nothing to do with her LTTE connections (she played a show in New York a few weeks ago, so, there you go)

  5. Just to clarify a previous post – M.I.A. has not signed a “record deal” with Interscope. She signed a “licensing deal” only – for this album. But they have the option to release her future albums if they choose to.