- Sign up / Sign in | You can also
- Contact us
- Subscribe
Exclusive Interview: M.I.A.
January 12 2009 20:15 PST
By: Anita Chatterjee
The heart of Sri Lanka's civilians, the soul of United Kingdom, and the memories of being a Sri Lankan refugee are all parts of what creates M.I.A's flow! Maya Arulpragasam, better known as her stage name M.I.A., experienced a journey that is heard through her music. The Grammy Awards nominated artist was born in the UK. Six months after her birth, she and her family moved to Sri Lanka where M.I.A spent the next ten years of her life. During this time, a conflict between the insurgent Tamil separatists and the majority Sinhanlese broke out into a war. M.I.A fled Sri Lanka with her mother and first took refuge in India. They later went to London, where M.I.A learned how to speak in English. These were the early years of her life that have contributed to her works and have resulted in her being the distinguished artist that she is today. I had the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss her success and her thoughts on the industry, to try to get a grasp on her view of her world.
DH! : What does success mean to you and what was your journey to success?
M.I.A: "I severely question that, I am a civilian Tamil refugee and I am the only Tamil in the media in the west. People have done big things in India, but as a Tamil its very interesting being here right now. I don't know if success means what you do as a refugee, how you make things happen without falling or getting killed? Things are different for me now that I am nominated for a Grammy. It is interesting and quite scary that I am the only Tamil person in the media in the west. So right now I am severely questioning that."
DH! : What do you consider your nationality to be?
M.I.A: "I am actually British but I of course come from Sri Lanka and I am Tamil. I put on the TV and see what's going on in Sri Lanka and how people are being mistreated and it makes me question my connection to Sri Lanka. My origin is from Sri Lanka so I am British Tamil."
DH! : What is your vision for Sri Lanka.
M.I.A: "It's really simple, Tamil people have to have the right to live. They have been successful with genocide in that country and are not being condemned from doing it. In the future, people need to learn that you cannot wipe out a whole race."
DH!: How does your music represent you?
M.I.A : "Well, it represents me because I think it was impossible to make stuff the way I did if I didn't have that life style, it represents me being a Sri Lankan refugee. The sound and imagery and the style comes from real life."
DH!: What is the mission behind your music?
M.I.A: "The mission is I want to be the person who is basically reflecting art. I was a Sri Lankan refugee, and I don't want people to misinterpret my work .I want to represent a Tamil citizen, not Tamil politics but a Tamil civilian. The situation I was in can apply to anywhere in the world, whether it is a person from Sri Lanka or Myanmar. It's interesting because I have experienced being a refugee in this generation. When you watch movies like 'Bhaji On The Beach,' it shows the second generation Desi culture. In my case, I was a refugee in my generation so I can actually remember the experience."
DH:! In recent times, your music has become more mainstream and popular amongst the public. Because of this, many artists such as Timbaland and even A.R. Rahman have collaborated with you to create music. So, of course considering the DesiHits! audience and seeing the massive success of 'Slumdog Millionaire,' I had to ask how your experience working with A.R. Rahman had been.
M.I.A: "He is a well-respected [artist]. When I was young as a kid, he was one of my idols. He is great and I enjoyed working with him. He takes music to a different place for me."
DH!: It is quite evident that you send out strong messages to the world through your music, so what are the key messages that you would teach your child as you are an expecting mother?
M.I.A: "I would teach my child tons of things. I want my child to see the third world countries, and be humble about what he or she has, and have sound judgment."
DH! : So do you want a boy or a girl?
M.I.A: "It doesn't matter to me. If it is a girl, she will be a tough girl, but I think I may have a boy, because I have a pointy stomach."
From living the life of a refugee, to learning the language of a foreign land, and making a name in the international music industry, M.I.A's life can be considered a success story. So, after hearing about her career and her journey, one has to wonder what M.I.A's biggest accomplishment has been thus far. Her answer was shockingly simple, yet somehow humbling and natural, "Being pregnant."
Comments (26)
Want to comment on this article? [ Sign in ] or [ get a FREE account ] at Desi Hits! (You get access to free MP3s and other stuff, too).
M.I.A WE TAMILS FROM DENMARK LOVES YOU--- WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU. YOU ARE JUST NOT MAKING MUSIC YOU ARE MAKING A TREND IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.KEEP IT UP LET ME JUST EXPLAIN SOME THINGS ABOUT TAMILS AROUND THE WORLD. WE ARE NOT TERRORIST SUPPORTERS--- WE ARE SUPPORTERS OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS. Now why are we supporting them? We are supporting them because of the genocide that is taking place in Sri lanka…. More than 100,000 Tamils Killed and Disappeared More than 20,000 Tamil orphaned children More than 35,000 Tamil widows Hundreds of Thousands of schools, houses, hospitals, churches, temples, villages and livelihood destroyed. More than 600,000 Tamils Internal Refugees Nearly 1 Million Tamils made to flee the country 47 humanitarian workers were kidnapped and killed by the Sri lankan government. 5 Tamil Parliamentarians were assassinated by the Sri lankan government. Many leading Tamil Journalists were murdered by the Sri lankan government . Hundreds of Tamils were abducted for ransom & killed by the Sri lankan government. 17 Humanitarian Workers of a French NGO (AFC) Murdered by SL Army in an execution style on 5 August 2006 WHY IS IT THAT SOO MANY TAMILS FROM SRI LANKA ARE REFUGEE’S AROUND THE WORLD TODAY--- WHY DON’T WE SEE ANY SINGALESE AS REFUGEES? I FEEL VERY SORRY FOR THE SINGALESE PEOPLE IN GENERAL AS THEY ARE MIS INFORMED AND MIS LED BY THE SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT….. LIKE SAML---USA banned terror outfit ? --- YES THEY DID---WAS USA RIGHT ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPON IN IRAQ? THE ANSWER IS NOO-----SOMETIMES PEOPLE TEND TO BELIEVE IN THE GOVERNMENT OFFICALS MORE THAN THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY--- AS THE GOVERNMENT REPRESENT THE COUNTRY, IT HAS THE BENEFIT OF INFLUENCING OTHER COUNTRIES…… BUT DO YOU KNOW THAT CNN AND OTHER NEWS CHANNELS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE NORTH-EAST (WAR-ZONE) AREA BY THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT. WHY ? THE RESPONSE FROM THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT: ---IT IS TOO DANGEROUSE FOR THEM-. A LOT OF JOUNALIST ARE ENTERING WAR ZONES/AREAS ON THEIR OWN RISK IN OTHER COUNTRIES----WHY IS IT THAT THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT IS SOO CONCERNED ABOUT THE JOUNALIST. ARE THEY SCARED THAT THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT TO THE WORLD----ABOUT HOW THEY KILL TAMILS. ARE THEY SCARED THAT THE NUMBERS AND FIGURES ABOUT KILLED LTTE IN THE MEDIA PROCLAIMED BY THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT ARE ALL WRONG---- ARE THEY SCARED ABOUT THE TRUTH WILL LEAK OUT TO THE WORLD? THE WORLD HAS A CLEAR EXPERIENCE TROUGH THE BALKAN WAR---- WHEN YOU ARE NOT LET IN , IT IS A SIGN THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THEY WANT TO HIDE……LET THE GOVERNMENT OPEN UP FOR THE JOURNALIST FROM CNN AND OTHER LEADING NEWS CHANNELS INTO THE NORT-EAST WAR-ZONE….AND LET THEM EVALUATE THE SITUATION ON THEIR OWN. JUST SOME FACT FOR PEOPLE LIKE Saml---- More than 100,000 Tamils Killed and Disappeared More than 20,000 Tamil orphaned children More than 35,000 Tamil widows Hundreds of Thousands of schools, houses, hospitals, churches, temples, villages and livelihood destroyed. More than 600,000 Tamils Internal Refugees Nearly 1 Million Tamils made to flee the country 47 humanitarian workers were kidnapped and killed by the Sri lankan government. 5 Tamil Parliamentarians were assassinated by the Sri lankan government. Many leading Tamil Journalists were murdered by the Sri lankan government . Hundreds of Tamils were abducted for ransom & killed by the Sri lankan government. 17 Humanitarian Workers of a French NGO (AFC) Murdered by SL Army in an execution style on 5 August 2006
M.I.A WE TAMILS FROM DENMARK LOVES YOU--- WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU. YOU ARE JUST NOT MAKING MUSIC YOU ARE MAKING A TREND IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.KEEP IT UP. LET ME JUST EXPLAIN SOME THINGS ABOUT TAMILS AROUND THE WORLD. WE ARE NOT TERRORIST SUPPORTERS--- WE ARE SUPPORTERS OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS. Now why are we supporting them? We are supporting them because of the genocide that is taking place in Sri lanka…. More than 100,000 Tamils Killed and Disappeared More than 20,000 Tamil orphaned children More than 35,000 Tamil widows Hundreds of Thousands of schools, houses, hospitals, churches, temples, villages and livelihood destroyed. More than 600,000 Tamils Internal Refugees Nearly 1 Million Tamils made to flee the country 47 humanitarian workers were kidnapped and killed by the Sri lankan government. 5 Tamil Parliamentarians were assassinated by the Sri lankan government. Many leading Tamil Journalists were murdered by the Sri lankan government . Hundreds of Tamils were abducted for ransom & killed by the Sri lankan government. 17 Humanitarian Workers of a French NGO (AFC) Murdered by SL Army in an execution style on 5 August 2006 WHY IS IT THAT SOO MANY TAMILS FROM SRI LANKA ARE REFUGEE’S AROUND THE WORLD TODAY--- WHY DON’T WE SEE ANY SINGALESE AS REFUGEES? I FEEL VERY SORRY FOR THE SINGALESE PEOPLE IN GENERAL AS THEY ARE MIS INFORMED AND MIS LED BY THE SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT….. LIKE SAML---USA banned terror outfit ? --- YES THEY DID---WAS USA RIGHT ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPON IN IRAQ? THE ANSWER IS NOO-----SOMETIMES PEOPLE TEND TO BELIEVE IN THE GOVERNMENT OFFICALS MORE THAN THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY--- AS THE GOVERNMENT REPRESENT THE COUNTRY, IT HAS THE BENEFIT OF INFLUENCING OTHER COUNTRIES…… BUT DO YOU KNOW THAT CNN AND OTHER NEWS CHANNELS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE NORTH-EAST (WAR-ZONE) AREA BY THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT. WHY ? THE RESPONSE FROM THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT: ---IT IS TOO DANGEROUSE FOR THEM-. A LOT OF JOUNALIST ARE ENTERING WAR ZONES/AREAS ON THEIR OWN RISK IN OTHER COUNTRIES----WHY IS IT THAT THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT IS SOO CONCERNED ABOUT THE JOUNALIST. ARE THEY SCARED THAT THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT TO THE WORLD----ABOUT HOW THEY KILL TAMILS. ARE THEY SCARED THAT THE NUMBERS AND FIGURES ABOUT KILLED LTTE IN THE MEDIA PROCLAIMED BY THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT ARE ALL WRONG---- ARE THEY SCARED ABOUT THE TRUTH WILL LEAK OUT TO THE WORLD? THE WORLD HAS A CLEAR EXPERIENCE TROUGH THE BALKAN WAR---- WHEN YOU ARE NOT LET IN , IT IS A SIGN THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THEY WANT TO HIDE……LET THE GOVERNMENT OPEN UP FOR THE JOURNALIST FROM CNN AND OTHER LEADING NEWS CHANNELS INTO THE NORT-EAST WAR-ZONE….AND LET THEM EVALUATE THE SITUATION ON THEIR OWN. JUST SOME FACT FOR PEOPLE LIKE Saml---- More than 100,000 Tamils Killed and Disappeared More than 20,000 Tamil orphaned children More than 35,000 Tamil widows Hundreds of Thousands of schools, houses, hospitals, churches, temples, villages and livelihood destroyed. More than 600,000 Tamils Internal Refugees Nearly 1 Million Tamils made to flee the country 47 humanitarian workers were kidnapped and killed by the Sri lankan government. 5 Tamil Parliamentarians were assassinated by the Sri lankan government. Many leading Tamil Journalists were murdered by the Sri lankan government . Hundreds of Tamils were abducted for ransom & killed by the Sri lankan government. 17 Humanitarian Workers of a French NGO (AFC) Murdered by SL Army in an execution style on 5 August 2006
M.I.A says that she has been given a responsibility and a platform to discuss Sri Lankan Tamil problem but she never condemns terrorist acts LTTE has done for last 25 years. LTTE is one of the most ruthless terror outfits banned by USA, UK, Canada, India and other major countries. LTTE, has killed respected Sri Lankan Tamil leaders and scholars such as Thiruchelvam, Kadirgamar, Amirthalingam, etc, because they were not extremists. They have killed Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan Precedent R Premadasa. They killed 70000 plus innocent children, women, religious leaders and media personnel. They stabbed 43 buddhist monks to death in a bus by using swords and knives. They have killed hundreds of children in East region and hung in to coconut palms. They recruit children as young as 12 years to fight the war, as UN has outlined. They have killed Rajini Thiranagama, a leading Tamil writer and human rights advocate for her balanced opinions. They have linked up with terror outfits such as Al-Qaeda and created a global network of terror. Justifiably, USA banned this terror outfit (please do not tell me that CIA was duped!). When Sri Lankan government started liberating Tamil people oppressed by LTTE terrorists, Tamils living in USA such as M.I.A want to protest. After 25 years of gloom, Tamils in liberated areas are starting to see the light. Terror supporters live in USA must understand that they are part of the problem that frankly take their own Tamil generations live in Sri Lanka back to stone age. Keep in mind, majority of Tamil population now live in Colombo, together with Singhala majority. True sometimes they have to go through security procedures like in any other country with terror threats to avoid killing of innocent people, including Tamils. If you want to spend some energy on helping Tamils, please return to Sri Lanka, if you do not like the poverty conditions in north, live with Singhalese in south. US will never support your cause. India will never pardon your terror outfit who killed Rajiv Gandhi. As an “artist†M.I.A should be reasonable, should not be trying to paint a distorted picture. To the democratic world who fight terrorism, M.I.A may appear as a savior for terror mafia LTTE.
she is amazing - Big up desi woman - we love you and you make us proud - I am am Tamil - from india and there should be more people like MIA to suppot the cause in the US. Maybe obama will see what is going on and actually do something.
Congrats M.I.A
We so called refugee's left Sri lanka with a SL passport, embarked at SL Airport as a SL national. For purely on economic reasons, sold SL as a parriah state. No wonder we Tamils Don't have a motherland.
Congratulation MIA. I am very proud of you and I enjoy your music. I am also a Tamil refugee living in the USA. You are not just a hero to Tamil people, you are an icon all the oppressed people around the world. I thank you for becoming an only voice to a race which is been destroyed by its own government. Wish you all the best with your career.
OG_newyork Some one is doing good. Dont' be gelous... Learn to love.. MIA is my FAN...
I didn't know much about her, but after reading this I really like her. She keeps it real!And speaks her mind! I am a fan now!
She is the best who come out of sri lanka and doing good. I apreciate what she sais" people need to learn that you cannot wipe out a whole race." that goes to some one in this block. Good job MIA
Admire her talent as a Sri Lankan woman. Maya should come up with a song titled "Why we Tamils are refugees all over the world ?" The answer to it is not by terror and violence.
OG_Newyork has shown how venomous the sinhalese are!! He may have conveniently forgotten the several pogroms committed against the Tamils,(1956,1958,1977,1983...too many to mention!!) but the world and the victims have not forgotten!!
Ha...That’s what I originally said NYC you are the web master who removed it and now say it like yours. You know what …you remove it because you running away from truth. You can run but you can’t hide from your own self. In Sri Lanka official 2nd language is Tamil. Even you guys got more rights as a Tamil in sri lanka than you and your terror support friends give me in your web site. Don’t you feel shame when removing the message of unity I said in my comments?
i dont like MIA.. but after I read this interview i loved her.. She is a wonderful person and it is nice that even she is getting famous she knows who she is and where she started from.. Its funny that people says tamil people bombs people with suicide bombings.. thats what the government tells the world.. but why does all the bombings happen in the tamil areas.. i am just asking.. So we are so clever that we bomb our own people.. LTTE wants to prevent this.. thats why they have Airtigers and Landtigers.. So for now.. Keep up with the good work M.I.A!!
OG_newyork, Stop the hate learn to love. 5 thumbs to MIA... peace...
Why removed my all 3 comments? Is that Tamil way remove truth and do it with guns and suicide bombs? Now I really realize who you are. Naked truth is refugee status is cornucopia for success otherwise still in mutative jungle under LTTE animal law.
I love her for her honesty and simplicity. I would like to impress upon the average sinhalese that they cannot suppress by genocide a linquistic group in order to propagate theirs. In the process they are killing their own people and culture!! They should realize that all that talent, not only M.I.A's talent, but they have lost the talents of other Sri Lankan Tamil children who are excelling in their fields in the countries where they were accepted as refugees!! Sri Lanka has lost a lot of talented man power or should I say "brain power, because of their destructive policy towards their minority!!Please learn to live and let live!!
Quite Inspiring and touching to see my Tamil refugee recognizing in the west.I wish her all success in her forthcoming career. I was broken to hear her real feeling from her heart.She has blossomed out into a beautiful Tamil Refugee..I Luv her
I want to pop in one of her tracks now! I luv her!
I love how real she is! She has real spoken from the heart!
She has gone through a lot! I luv her and her music!
She is very tallented artist, who went through a lot and got lot of experience. Big up to her....I wish her all the best....
As a South Asian Women I am proud that she represents out in the west!
M.I.A!!!!!!!
I love her she is the most talent musician of all times and she is so real!
She has spoken from her heart. What ever she said is true and we all have to respect her own opinion. No one have the rights to question on her opinion / answers. OG_newyork: She never said Sinhalese are killing Tamils, it's just the evil politicians are killing them to keep their power and money. Well in Colombo Tamils are not living like in NY...each Tamil has to register and not allowed to live like local citizens (They were forced to go back to their own villages at once). What happend during Black July, Tamils were burnt or brutally killed by hard core sinhala Mob. If tamils are not being killed why would anyone leave the country and take refuge in other countries...Please stop hatred and spreading wrong information. There are jealous everywhere. Try to encourage others to succeed.