Paper planes took on a whole new meaning for Sri Lankan pop revolutionary M.I.A. the moment the thirtysomething diva discovered she was pregnant in July 2008. While her bundle was growing in her swollen belly, her “Paper Planes” was skyrocketing to No. 1 on iTunes’ song chart and is now a 2009 Grammy nominee for “Record of the Year." After this year, the mother-to-be won’t just be singing about them, she may be flying some of her own.
But the singer wasn’t winning from jump. In 2006, she was denied a work visa to return to the United States to finish recording her second album, Kala (Interscope), which she claimed was due to controversy over her pro-rebel lyrics. Then this May, the erstwhile Maya Arulpragasam was forced to cancel her set at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in Washington. She even joked to the press about getting hitched for a green card, naming Kanye West as a potential hubby. But wait, maybe she wasn’t kidding. On May 27, 2008, during a show at Canada’s Edmonton Event Centre, M.I.A. announced she really was engaged—to Ben Brewer, frontman of NYC band The Exit, son of Warner Music Group Chairman and CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr., and heir to one of Canada’s wealthiest families.
Then M.I.A. went M.I.A.
She canceled her summer tour and announced her “retirement” while performing at Manchester, Tenn.’s Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 13. It was around this time that “Paper Planes” exploded on the strength of its placement in the trailer for the Seth Rogen stoner comedy Pineapple Express (Columbia). The song took hold in rap circles, and remixes by Jim Jones, Rick Ross, Freeway, and 50 Cent soon appeared. Then Kanye sampled her voice for the chorus of the colossal posse cut “Swagga Like Us.” So it was official: M.I.A. was finally rap-certified. But we didn’t hear from her until she resurfaced for Diesel’s 30th Anniversary concert in Brooklyn, N.Y., on October 11—with a beautiful bulging belly! Looks like that sabbatical was more like a maternity leave.
Comments
1.
yoyonance says:
view profile
Interesting!
My friend recommended me a very interesting place *** http://mixedlove.zoomshare.com/files/index.htm *** It 's where you have the opportunity to join a social site.
December 5, 2008 at 4:00 am
2.
ganjaboy says:
view profile
Check out the new reggae CD by T. Irie Dread. Not just some white boys playing guitar. Real reggae. Your ears are safe. So check them out. T. Irie Dread
December 4, 2008 at 11:45 am