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Friday, November 16, 2007 - Volume 35 Issue 46

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posted Friday, November 16, 2007 - Volume 35 Issue 46

Where It's At

UK's hippest export M.I.A to perform sold out show
by Jessica Browning - SGN A&E Writer M.I.A. w/ guest Friday, November 16 - 8pm The Showbox (SoDo) - Sold Out Forget what you've heard about streetwise lady-rapper M.I.A. She's not just a pretty face with a tough-as-nails attitude. The 30 year-old is actually here to stay, as she has proven with the unexpectedly solid follow-up to the guilty pleasure of 2005's Arular. Her newest album, Kala, actually makes it feel less trendy to be a fan. It's ok to admit you liked the sneaky hit single "Galang" a few years back; annoying as it was, it was catchy, and it stuck with you. Kala (named after her mother) is the sound of M.I.A. honing her skills and digging even deeper into her well of inspiration. Lucky for us, she'll be blowing the doors off The Showbox's SoDo location tonight. Interestingly, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, the daughter of an activist-turned militant father, was born in London. When she was six months old, her family moved back to their native Sri Lanka. Facing political conflicts and years of financial struggles at home, eventually the family moved back to London as refugees and Maya learned English. In her new city, she was exposed to yet another culture in American rap artists and was immediately inspired. Her early collaborations both artistically and musically included the cover art to Elastica's The Menace, and eventually her work with Justine Frischmann and electro-diva Peaches led to an early demo which found its way into the encouraging hands of Pulp's Steve Mackey. "Galang" and a handful of other songs made their rounds and gathered momentum until M.I.A. had arrived. Perhaps being an outspoken young star with a politically charged dance record and the daughter of a militant activist didn't help in the recording of Kala. The singer's application to record in the US was inexplicably held up for ten months, and reportedly landed her on the Homeland Security list. Her latest American tour was likely a bit tricky to put together, and has been sold out on nearly every date. She's known for being as fiery on stage as she is on her recordings. Her enormous energy and sexy UK drawl are hallmarks of her live performances. Get ready for a revolutionary night of letting M.I.A. give your mind and body a musical workout. J. Browning Artist essentials: Check out the video for "Galang" on www.youtube.com, featuring M.I.A.'s artwork brought to life. Highlights from Kala include "Boyz" and "Jimmy".