Why You Don't Hear Much From M.I.A. Anymore

Rapper Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, widely known as M.I.A., captivated audiences worldwide with her hit songs and impactful lyrics. Yet, despite her meteoric rise to fame following her 2008 anthem "Paper Planes," fans have noticed a significant decrease in her public presence and music releases in recent years. This shift from a highly visible artist to a more elusive figure raises questions about the reasons behind her reduced visibility in the music industry.

M.I.A. burst onto the scene as an influential voice in music, earning accolades such as a spot on Time's "100 Most Influential People" list in 2009 and nominations for Grammy and Oscar awards. She has always incorporated social and political issues into her work, challenging the status quo and advocating for global awareness through her art. However, her outspoken nature often led to controversy, which has seemingly contributed to her withdrawal from the mainstream music scene.

With a new generation of artists embracing social consciousness, it's intriguing to ponder why M.I.A. has stepped back. Is it a conscious choice, or a reaction to the changing dynamics of the music industry? In the following sections, we will explore the reasons behind M.I.A.'s current absence from the spotlight, as well as her past controversies, personal motivations, and unique artistic endeavors that continue to shape her career.

Biography and Personal Details

Table of Contents

• There was M.I.A.'s very controversial Super Bowl appearance
• M.I.A. has been accused of being a 'terrorist sympathizer'
• Censorship has left M.I.A. feeling less 'motivated'
• M.I.A. was initially unhappy with her documentary
• Music isn't M.I.A.'s only passion
• The media has criticized M.I.A.
• M.I.A.'s 2016 album was a commercial disappointment
• M.I.A. called out the Black Lives Matter movement
• Vogue allegedly pulled M.I.A.'s feature due to her stance on vaccinations
• Fans of M.I.A. can look forward to 'random surprise content'
• M.I.A. did release new music in 2020

There was M.I.A.'s very controversial Super Bowl appearance

Performing for a Super Bowl halftime show is a huge career milestone, and the honor has been bestowed upon some pretty heavy-hitters in the biz. In 2012, M.I.A. had the opportunity to rap alongside Madonna and Nicki Minaj for the Super Bowl XLVI halftime gig, and, in true fashion, her stint was deemed controversial.

As she performed a verse from Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin," the British-born star decided to lock eyes with the camera, spit out the lyrics "I don't give a sh*t," and throw up a middle finger. The moment was brief and, albeit, less controversial than the Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson "nipplegate" fiasco, yet the backlash was still just as swift. The NFL demanded $16.6 million as a result, while viewers were allegedly appalled.

While an undisclosed settlement was eventually reached, M.I.A didn't apologize. In fact, years later, during a chat with Huck magazine in 2018, M.I.A. appeared to poke fun at the entire situation. "A middle finger, it's like get a fu**ing grip," she said. "People were like, 'Oh you're lucky you're not in jail, give up all your profit, be this slave for the rest of your life.'" After stopping herself, she quipped, "Oh god, I hope the NFL doesn't sue me again for talking about it."

M.I.A. has been accused of being a 'terrorist sympathizer'

Although she was born in London, M.I.A. bounced around countries growing up. According to The Guardian, the "Paper Planes" rapper is the daughter of a Tamil 'revolutionary' who had trained with the Palestine Liberation Organization. Her childhood was spent in war-torn northern Sri Lanka, before spending time in southern India and then returning to Britain.

Since entering the limelight, M.I.A. has used her voice to discuss the civil war in Sri Lanka countless times — even if it's made people uncomfortable. As Now magazine points out, "every time she tried to redirect media attention to war crimes and the humanitarian crisis she was shot down." To make matters more complicated, "the Sri Lankan government spun their own narrative, labeling her — and any other Tamils speaking up about the massacre — as liars and terrorist sympathizers.

With naysayers coming from all different directions, M.I.A. said in a statement that she does not support terrorism. Interestingly enough, as Now mentioned in 2018, times have changed since the Kala hitmaker rose to the A-list, and suddenly, being an activist is 'marketable.' So, why is M.I.A. — for lack of a better term — M.I.A? "One minute everybody is completely happy giving up all their privacy and buying the biggest and the best and being a completely docile society, and then overnight, they start protesting about everything," she told Now, adding, "If you think about what constitutes controversial issues now, it still leaves out 80 per cent of the planet's population."

Censorship has left M.I.A. feeling less 'motivated'

At the height of her career, M.I.A. still was not able to coast through the A-list and be adored by legions of fans and press, à la Beyoncé or Harry Styles. "It's like, 'Shut up talking about Tamils and we'll make you into a pop star,'" the singer reflected to Now magazine. "I'm not fighting for the space to gentrify myself and then fit in. I've had that offered to me every year. I could have been the brown one of them and not say anything about where I come from and who I am."

At the end of the day, perhaps M.I.A. disappeared from the spotlight since she was sick of fighting for the rights she believed deserved more global attention. In fact, it sure appeared that way during an interview with House of Strombo in 2018, where she revealed she's no longer "motivated" to release new music. "Why would I?" she asked host George Stroumboulopoulos. Claiming she's been "pushed out" of the mainstream, she dished, "Everyone says, 'You have a platform,' but what do you mean by platform? Because my records are buried because of the label's issues with me. Sometimes it's personal; sometimes it's not."

M.I.A. was initially unhappy with her documentary

In 2018, M.I.A. released a documentary titled Matangi/Maya/M.I.A, a collaborative project with director Stephen Loveridge. This Sundance-winning film chronicles M.I.A.'s remarkable journey from refugee immigrant to pop star, showcasing much of the footage provided by the artist herself.

So, considering the flick was made by her close pal, M.I.A. must have loved the finished product, right? Well, not quite. At the Sundance screening that year, the "Bad Girls" rapper took the stage with Loveridge and (slightly awkwardly) told audiences, "That wasn't the film that was supposed to be made." The following day, during an interview with Billboard