美国国家公共电台 NPR M.I.A. Takes 'AIM' At A Global Message（在线收听）

M.I.A. Takes 'AIM' At A Global Message 

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A lot of people heard the rapper M.I.A.'s biggest hit in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire."

MIA: (Singing) All I want to do is...

MIA: (Singing) ...And...

MIA: (Singing) ...And take your money.

MONTAGNE: And a lot more Americans saw her give the middle finger to America during a Super Bowl halftime show. That gesture led our colleague David Greene to ask M.I.A. this a couple of years ago.

DAVID GREENE, BYLINE: A lot of people describe you as provocative.

MIA: Yes.

GREENE: Is that a fair label?

MIA: I don't know. I don't intentionally go, oh, what is provocative? - and try to do that.

MONTAGNE: David spoke with M.I.A again this week about her new album and her latest provocation.

GREENE: Let's remember, M.I.A. grew up in war-torn Sri Lanka and then, later, in public housing in London. And she has made a career fighting for and singing about refugees, minorities and social justice.

MIA: (Singing) Borders - what's up with that? Politics - what's up with that?

GREENE: So it was a bit surprising to some people when she seemed to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement and two fellow musicians. It was in an interview back in April when she said, quote, "Is Beyonce or Kendrick Lamar going to say Muslim lives matter or Syrian lives matter or this kid in Pakistan matters?"

I asked her about those comments. She says her point is that a few mega-stars get so much of the world's attention, she fears some causes get overlooked.

MIA: (Singing) Going to be doing it like that.

When you have 20 icons, and all 20 icons are American - apart from, say, Adele and Coldplay, who are British - you know, then the pressure kind of goes on someone like me. And I was saying, well, if we've got 10 artists to listen to for the next 10 years, either make those artists varied or open up the floodgates for these artists to talk about other issues.

And don't just make it particular to their own experience because it's shutting down a lot of current affairs that is affecting the rest of the world.

GREENE: And M.I.A. wonders, if the big stars aren't going to speak out for other causes, who will?

MIA: If we're waiting for Syrian kids to come up and talk about Syria, we might be waiting for a long time because those kids are not going to get that opportunity.

GREENE: Stir a little bit of controversy - that is vintage M.I.A.

MIA: (Singing) At the border, I see the patroller cruising past in their car, hiding in my Toyota Corolla. Everybody say YALA.

GREENE: Although, things do seem surprisingly calm for the 41-year-old musician these days. Her fifth album is out. It's called "AIM." And she says it may well be her last. M.I.A.'s been focusing a lot on being a mom. She has a 7-year-old son. And she's been trying to find a balance. She wants him to know about his mom's tough upbringing. But she also reminds him...

MIA: You are now, actually, a privileged kid.

GREENE: You've said that to him.

MIA: I have said that to him, yeah.

GREENE: I've read there was some conversation you had with him where he was, like, Mom, you're a star. We can eat better than this.

MIA: Yeah, that's right.

GREENE: Tell - what exactly happened there?

MIA: That was my old approach, you know, when I was literally putting him through boot camp. I'd be like, you know, when I was your age, I just had a dead bird to play with...

GREENE: Uh-huh.

MIA: ...Which I liked (laughter).

GREENE: OK.

MIA: Yeah. And he's not really going for that right now.

GREENE: He literally said to you, Mom, we can eat better than this with...

MIA: Yeah. He's a smart kid. Yeah (laughter).

MIA: (Singing) Bass, bass, bass, bass...

GREENE: What's striking is at this moment, when the world feels like it's on fire - terrorism, a refugee crisis, racial tensions in the U.S. and elsewhere - M.I.A. is sounding more upbeat. On the new album, there's even a collaboration with a former boy band star, Zayn Malik from One Direction in the song freedom to.

MIA: (Singing) Even aliens see the presentation. Yeah, tune up the dial on the station. And think of me sort of like Tarzan. And I'm swinging this beat - salvation.

ZAYN MALIK: (Singing) All the stars are still shining.

MIA: If I can be optimistic on this record, that really feels like a revival to United Colors of Benetton, like, in the '90s.

GREENE: Benetton, the store, yeah.

MIA: Yeah - and where they used to run adverts about unity and people coming together. It was called United Colors of Benetton. And when I came to America for the first time, and I was listening to, like, hip-hop stations, like, erase the color line was, like, the catchphrase on, you know, Beats 92 FM.

And it was like a movement in the '90s to destroy racism. And the only way we thought we could destroy it - and I'm such a dinosaur, I could talk about this now. But in the '90s...

GREENE: (Laughter) A 41-year-old dinosaur.

MIA: Yeah. So in the '90s, that's what I used to be a part of. It was like our cure for racism is unity, you know? And I think that's why right now, even though it's not very trendy for me to be about love and unity and peace - it's the most, like, uncoolest thing for M.I.A. - brand M.I.A. to ever, like, push. But right now I feel like it's the most revolutionary thing you can do.

MIA: (Singing) What haters say about me don't worry me. I keep it moving forward to what's ahead of me. You're going to see I'm not going to waste energy.

GREENE: What do you tell people who have embraced your music? And at this moment, when there is a lot of anger about social injustices, they would say to you, don't go soft on us now.

MIA: I know. I know.

GREENE: This is when we need you the most.

MIA: Well, this is what, you know, my families say. All the world has gone M.I.A. And you've just gone M.I.A. And it's like (laughter), you need to get out there and go on tour talk and talk to your fans because they must be like, you know, thinking, where is she right now?

MIA: (Singing) I'm someone's shot of whiskey - not everyone's tea - 'cause I'm free. And I'm a freak. All the people I love I try to keep. We get deep, keep it street. And we're never going to stay asleep.

This is a really weird time for human beings right now. And if you want positive change, and if you want to break the cycle, then you have to break it in yourself.

GREENE: So are you saying that when we're angry at something in the world, whether it be a war in Syria or racial inequality or something, that we should check ourselves before we respond with just anger?

MIA: Well, I think it's important to have anger. But you have to direct the anger into something constructive. And it has to be productive. And the outcome of the anger and anger-led change has to be better than where you were before.

MIA: (Singing) It starts when I'm heading over - getting blessings in the shower.

MONTAGNE: Rapper M.I.A. talking to our own David Greene about her new album out today.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PAPER PLANES")

(SOUNDBITE OF SHOTS FIRING)

(SOUNDBITE OF CASH REGISTER)

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BORDERS")

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(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREEDUN")

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(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FINALLY")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FINALLY")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SURVIVOR")