It Is Essential To Keep One's Distance A Bit

With A.I.M , her new album, M.I.A proves that even in 2016, one can still mix pop and politics. And it's that much better if it disturbs.

- Pascaline Potdevin

On A.I.M.’s album sleeve one reads, ‘M.I.A. unifying people since 2003’. Curious, especially for one who is known more for dividing them. The whole world dances to her hits, a mix of bling hip-hop, electro-dance and Indian sounds (‘Paper Planes’, ‘Bad Girls’). And she’s even brought out an extremely violent music video (‘Born Free’). At best, she is treated as a punk star, and at worst, a sensationalist. We celebrate her support of the outsiders and the oppressed (born in London, brought up in Sri Lanka, she fled the civil war with her family at 11 and has never hidden her support for the Tamil separatists). She will not apologise for her engagement to a billionaire (Benjamin Bronfman, who she is no longer with). M.I.A. (Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam) couldn’t care less; M.I.A. goes on, very aware, like all those who have built their lives between the East and West, rock and hip-hop, the V-sign and rosy gloss, that it is this very contradiction that makes everything so interesting. But when we meet her, one hot Parisian afternoon, the 41-year-old English lady (she looks at least 10 years younger) assures us: she isn’t looking for conflict. “Earlier I used to be like this [she raises her fists, ready to fight]. Today…” M.I.A. joins her hands to make a sign of the two wings of a bird, the totem animal of A.I.M., who flies high up in the sky knowing no borders. The album talks only of this: Limits to cross, physical or others, a freedom to be snatched, whether one has great ideas or just great courage, and no papers. Appeased, M.I.A.? Maybe. But definitely not detached.

GRAZIA: How was your album A.I.M. born?