M.I.A

Even if you're frustrated, how do you express yourself? There's no subculture like back in the day.

— M.I.A

I think people were genuinely addicted to hip hop in the 90s, addicted to the idea of empowerment. I think it came…

— M.I.A

I don't think immigrants are that threatening to society at all. They're just happy they've survived some war somewhere.

— M.I.A

If you're talking about coexisting and tolerance then you have to live by example, and you can't have shiny people all the…

— M.I.A

When mayors get together they probably have better conversations and have better notes to share about running different cities, and just do…

— M.I.A

Before the Greeks were the Tamils. The Tamils are one of the oldest civilizations that's still surviving.

— M.I.A

Tamils all over the world have a sense of belonging to the world itself, but our ancient roots come from India. I…

— M.I.A

You can't turn up at college in stilettos and say you're gonna be a filmmaker. In the college, they were teaching me…

— M.I.A

In the beginning [of my career] I definitely felt a responsibility because I was representing a bunch of people [Sri lankans] who…

— M.I.A

If music's a political place, I'm out.

— M.I.A

Versace designs have always been bootlegged. Now it's Versace bootlegging the bootleg for the bootleggers to bootleg the bootleg.

— M.I.A

Manhattan seems pretty developed, you know what I mean? Like, it has peaked in culture.

— M.I.A

As an artist, you want to play around with mediums and see if you can get the point across in different way.

— M.I.A

“Maybe there's glory in all the things I'm not.”

— M.I.A

In 2004, I went onstage for the first time. They put a mike in my hand and pushed me out the door…

— M.I.A

I think I have to expand my creativity a bit, because it's difficult for critics to be, "Oh, this person writes their…

— M.I.A

I dont support terrorism and never have. As a Sri Lankan that fled war and bombings, my music is the voice of…

— M.I.A

At first, I found the music I was making really hard to find a home for. I felt like my attitude was…

— M.I.A

I dont like the idea of spirituality done the way its done. The only way I could understand it was through creativity,…

— M.I.A

Sri Lanka is an island off the coast of India. There's two ethnicities there; one the Sinhalese, which is the majority and…

— M.I.A

I think when something becomes a comfortable genre, it's against what street art stood for in the beginning - breaking out of…

— M.I.A

In my head, I actually think my songs are pop songs. I think, 'Damn, that's a pop song!' I can practice in…

— M.I.A

I don't understand why people make me want to make music that's a join-the-dots thing by numbers. I find it really difficult…

— M.I.A

It is a coincidence that Mathangi is the Goddess of Music and the spoken word, which can be rap.

— M.I.A

Now, [hip-hop/grime artists] Stormzy, Skepta, or the Section Boyz have to be validated by Drake, Rihanna or Beyoncé. They're rolled into this…

— M.I.A