"I could have shut up and put the glass slippers on and made millions of dollars. I could have made a ton of money and then helped build a school. But I wondered if that really worked. And at that time, I was like, Can I sell? Because in order for you to sell a lot of fucking records, you have to basically get rid of all the politics. At the end of the day, that is the choice I had".
M.I.A., Pitchfork
During the lead up to the release of her fifth studio album AIM (2016) last September, British rapper and singer-songwriter M.I.A. claimed that it would be her last musical effort. The release of a visually sumptuous music video (with a cinematic backdrop, a team of synchronized stunt men, and ample lengths of billowing red silk) for her brand new track "P.O.W.A." this month thankfully proved that this is not the case - we can still expect her brand of poppy electro rap to remind us of the need to be outspoken, brazen, unafraid of controversy and unapologetic about our efforts at activism.
The track brims with sass and a rare form of mature confidence, even if M.I.A. remains somewhat vague on what her the contents of her mind and manifesto are:
'I know my mindIn me I'm gonna findThis is my timeAnd I'm searching for the signsThrow up my handsSay this is people powerThrow up my finger and I'm taking on the Tower'
Lyrics: Genius
For the most part, she defines herself by citing all the people she is not: the Dalai Lama, a Monsanto farmer, Barack Obama, Osama Bin Laden, Rihanna, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande. She doesn't drink soda. Instead, she believes in 'karma' and hails herself as 'The real spice girl, hot girl power': a tough survivor that won't be silenced, erased or stifled.
M.I.A.'s vocals have always seemed to bear some emotional distance from the gritty subjects she prefers, from the immigrant hustlers in "Paper Planes", the hypersexualized pop stars in "XXXO", the female rebels in "Bad Girls", to the refugees in "Borders". This time, there's a hint of weariness, and an apparent desire to achieve a measure of peace after decades of conflict and controversy - a sentiment most people in the present day can surely identify with:
'Don't you wannaTell me if you're gonnaPut down your armourPromise no more dramaThrow my handsSay this is people powerThrow up my finger and I'm taking on the Tower'
