M.I.A.'s endlessly anticipated ///Y/ record was pretty much dead on arrival following fights with journalists and some digs from ex-boyfriend/producer Diplo. In a recent interview with Australian radio station Triple J, M.I.A. comes across as a little defensive, crediting the album's uneven sound to the fact that she was stranded in America.
"I overstayed my visa and if you overstay your visa even by 24 hours then once you come out, they just blanket deny you the next time because it's the biggest violation," she said. "I just carried on staying there and they just didn't grant me the extension for another year. And then I had my baby and couldn't really travel, so I just had to surrender to making the album in America. And that's the vibes that I picked up; it's half aggressive and half hippy."
One track on the album was a cover of the 1982 Dutch hit "It Takes a Muscle," originally performed by Spectral Display. The album version was one of the stronger moments on ///Y/, but M.I.A. says a better version may be on the way. "Last night, I played it with the Specials on Jools Holland in England [see below] and it sounded so much better," she told Triple J, adding, "I might re-record it with the Specials and put it back out."
It doesn't look like anyone would complain about M.I.A. changing things up at this point. Based on the success of her post-///Y/ singles, everyone is ready to move on from this section of her career.
"I overstayed my visa and if you overstay your visa even by 24 hours then once you come out, they just blanket deny you the next time because it's the biggest violation," she said. "I just carried on staying there and they just didn't grant me the extension for another year. And then I had my baby and couldn't really travel, so I just had to surrender to making the album in America. And that's the vibes that I picked up; it's half aggressive and half hippy."
One track on the album was a cover of the 1982 Dutch hit "It Takes a Muscle," originally performed by Spectral Display. The album version was one of the stronger moments on ///Y/, but M.I.A. says a better version may be on the way. "Last night, I played it with the Specials on Jools Holland in England [see below] and it sounded so much better," she told Triple J, adding, "I might re-record it with the Specials and put it back out."
It doesn't look like anyone would complain about M.I.A. changing things up at this point. Based on the success of her post-///Y/ singles, everyone is ready to move on from this section of her career.
