M.I.A. Is Awarded And M.B.E.

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) M.I.A. has been awarded an MBE (Member of The British Empire). The recognition was announced as part of Queen Elizabeth's annual "Birthday Honours List." She was given the award for her "services to music."

M.I.A's mother Kala who her second LP is named after, stitched these medals over the past 30 years.

Activist, mother, and style icon Maya Arulpragasam has been nominated for an Academy Award (for Slumdog Millionaire), a GRAMMY Award and The Mercury Prize. Raised in Sri Lanka, an 11-year-old Arulpragasam immigrated to the U.K. with her mother and siblings to escape the violence of Civil War. She has released five studio album and numerous singles. Last year saw the release of the critically acclaimed documentary MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A., an intimate and eye-opening profile of her remarkable trajectory from young Tamil refugee to global pop star.