M.I.A. is the recording name of Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, a British artist of Sri Lankan Tamil descent from Hounslow, England. She works in alternative dance, alternative hip hop, dancehall and related forms, and her music also draws on hip-hop, reggae, electro and baile funk.

Background

Arulpragasam is born in 1975 in Hounslow, London, and moves with her family to Sri Lanka as a baby. Her father becomes politically active there, and as the civil war intensifies the family flees first to India and then to the UK as refugees. The name M.I.A. stands for “Missing In Action” and refers both to her London neighbourhood, Acton, and to her politically difficult youth.

Style and influences

Her work combines rhythmic electronic production with rap and dancehall elements, and it is strongly shaped by her Sri Lankan background. The range associated with her recordings includes hip-hop, reggae, alternative dance, dancehall, electro and baile funk.

Recordings and labels

She is associated with the labels N.E.E.T. and OHMNI MUSIC. Her catalogue sits within hip-hop and electronic music, with genre tags also placing her in female vocal and dance-oriented areas.

Artist identity

The name M.I.A. is used by Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam as her primary artist identity. The available facts identify her as a hip hop artist.