Matangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam (born July 18 1975) professionally known as M.I.A is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and video director. She came to prominence as an underground singer while thrilling with songs like “Sunflowers” and “Galang”. She is a versatile singer with music genres of hip hop, electronic, alternative, dance and progressive rap. She was ranked among one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st Century by Esquire.
| M.I.A | |
|---|---|
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| Quick Facts | |
| Birth Name: | Matangi Arulpragasam |
| Birth Date: | July 18, 1975 |
| Birth Place: | London |
| Nationality: | British |
| Occupation: | Singer, Music producer |
| Record Labels: | XL Recordings, Interscope, Rock Nation |
| Height: | 5 ft 5 in |
| Husband: | Benjamin Bronfman (ex) |
| Net Worth: | $14 million |
Early Life
M.I.A was born on July 18, 1975 in London to Sri Lankan parents. Her father, Arul Pragasam, is an engineer, writer and activist while her mother, Kala, a seamstress.
Her family moved to Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka when she was barely 6 months old.
She went to Ricards Lodge High School in Wimbledon and also obtained a degree in fine art, film and video from London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
Career
M.I.A came through as a visual artist, filmmaker and designer in 2000 and started up professionally in 2002.
She came to prominence as an underground artist in 2004 with singles like “Sunshowers” and “Galang”.
She started uploading her songs on Myspace and soon caught the attention of major record labels while eventually got signed by XL Recordings.
She released her first album “Arular” in 2005 which was followed by another album titled “Kala”, which was named after mother, in 2007. She released her third album “Maya” in 2010.
She got signed to Jay Z’s Rock Nation management in May 2012, and the same year, she released an autobiographical book titled “M.I.A”.
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She released her fourth album “Matangi” in 2013 and her fifth studio album “AIM” in 2016.
M.I.A has worked with the likes of Major Lazer, Skrillex, Travis Scott, Diplo, Nicki Minaj and many others.
Personal Life
M.I.A was romantically involved with DJ Diplo in 2003. They were together for almost 5 years before they went their separate ways.
M.I.A later got engaged to Benjamin Bronfman and had lived together before they parted ways.
She met Benjamin in New York in 2008 and they gave birth to their son Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman in 2009.
Benjamin is the son of Seagram heir Edgar Bronfman Jr, a former guitarist for the punk reggae band The Exit.
Songs
- Ppaper planes
- Bad girls
- Xxxo
- Galang
- Sun Showers
- Sexodus
- Bring The Noize
- Boyz
- Foreign Friend
- Come Walk With Me
Awards & Recognition
M.I.A became the first person of the South Asian descent to be nominated for a Grammy award and Academy award.
She has two MTV music video awards and two American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) awards.
The talented singer was named one of the defining artists of the 2000s decade by Rolling Stone.
Net Worth
M.I.A has an estimated net worth of $14 million
Social Media
- Instagram: @miamatangi
