M. I.A. hardly needs an introduction. Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasams has been world-famous since the English musician and artist turned the music scene upside down with her debut album "Arular" in 2003. Born in London in 1975, the singer has received countless awards and prizes; Time magazine named her one of the "100 world's most influential people" and she has been nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy.

Her track "Paper Planes" from the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack has sold millions of copies to date. After her second album was produced by Timbaland, Diplo, Alan Moulder and Rusko, among others, contributed to her third album. "Maya" is uncompromising, loud, extreme and captivating. Like "Born Free", for example, whose video was immediately deleted from YouTube due to drastic scenes. The first single "XXXO", on the other hand, proves that M. I.A. can also package her message in pop sounds. What all the tracks have in common is a cool serenity and a brittle production that draws on all genres of hip-hop.