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M.I.A. on New Album: “No Gimmicks”

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The third album from Sri Lankan singer/MC M.I.A. might arrive as early as this spring, and will be “more musical” than her previous efforts.

After crossing over into the mainstream with “Paper Planes,” the inescapable single off 2007’s Kala, it appears that M.I.A.’s chasing a more serious sound — the days of sampled gunshots appear to be over. “I wanted it to be like, no gimmicks,” the artist, aka Maya Arulpragasam, told NME. “It’s my third album and I have to kind of confront whether I am a musician or not.”

Arulpragasam also said she’s trying to achieve a sound “that isn’t like trendy just for three months.”

M.I.A. is working hard with her faithful production partners, Diplo and Switch, to complete the album, which she characterized as “really odd.” Baltimore-based DJ Blaqstarr, who caught M.I.A.’s attention thanks to his work with her protégé, Rye Rye, is also in the production mix.

While waiting for the new record, may we suggest following M.I.A. on Twitter, where she talks about not just music, but many political issues, namely the internal strife in her home country of Sri Lanka.