Burbank, CA (Top40 Charts/ Interscope Records) - Hot off headlining UK festivals,
M.I.A. returns to the states for a national tour, beginning with the headlining slot at the V-Fest Saturday,
September 25, in Washington D.C. It's been a big year for M.I.A.: She released her third album /\/\ /\ Y /\ this July; signed
Sleigh Bells to her N.E.E.T. Records label; released videos for both "
Born Free" and "XXXO," blitzed The Late Show with
David Letterman where "she hit with a vengeance, taking the stage with
Martin Rev of Suicide and her own gang of Slim Shady's basically telling the haters to get f**ked" (URB.com); hit number one
Radio 1; and hit the UK festival circuit with a vengeance - beginning with London's Underage Fest August 3, where ""M.I.A. ended the day with a massive show!" (The Guardian). Her last UK show saw fans at The Big Chill festival rush the stage, forcing the show to end just a wee bit early.
M.I.A. may be music's poster child for the saying 'never a dull moment'...and she's not done with us yet.
SPIN magazine states: "Maya Arulpragasam is the most polarizing figure in pop today, a neon blur of contradictions and conflations - but she may also be the most thrilling." M.I.A. certainly inspires conversation, but in the end the music walks the walk that enables reviewers to talk the talk...and talk they do:
"As long as her music remains as bold, inventive, and occasionally thrilling as it is here, long may that continue." Drowned in Sound
"She covers so much ground because it's all a part of who she is. And from the sound of /\/\ /\ Y /\, she's capable of anything - except being dull." Rolling Stone, 4 stars ****
"Unsurprisingly (and happily), M.I.A. the insider is more dyspeptic than M.I.A. the outsider." The Onion AV Club, Grade: A- "A Classic!" SPIN, 9 out of 10
"M.I.A. is our present day riot grrrl - painting pictures with her words that speak on a higher plane. Skeptics may chalk Maya up to a cacophonic rant, but those who really listen will appreciate its underlying brilliance." - Hip Hop DX
"On "/\/\/\Y/\," she is trying to stay in the thick of her own life. It turns out to be a struggle worthy of a revolutionary." Los Angeles Times, 3 stars out of 4
"It's a tribute to her distinctive vision that MIA makes the collaborations on MAYA indelibly her own. Provocation, controversy and contradiction are all part of the fun." Telegraph, UK
Upcoming Tour Dates - With Special Guest Rye Rye!
Sat/Sep-25 Washington DC @ V fest (M.I.A without Rye Rye)
Sun/Sep-26 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Mon/Sep-27 New York, NY Terminal 5
Wed/Sep-29 Chicago, IL Vic
Thu/Sep-30 Chicago, IL Vic
Sun/Oct-03 Ithaca, NY Cornell University
Mon/Oct-04 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub
Tue/Oct-05 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub
Sat/Oct-09 Austin, TX Zilker Park - ACL (M.I.A without Rye Rye)
Tue/Oct-12 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
Thu/Oct-14 Los Angeles, CA Mayan Theater
Sun/Oct-17 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market
"Art gets redefined all the time by whoever needs it most. It's about rredefining your new environment. Now the internet has become our environment." M.I.A. to The Believer, cover story 2010 Music Issue.
