M.I.A. Shares Vibrant New Single 'Beep' & 'MATA' Album Artwork: Listen
By Bianca Gracie | September 30, 2022
M.I.A. returns with a fresh single "Beep" from her upcoming sixth studio album, MATA.
The new single, which follows August's "Popular" and May's "The One", finds the global artist playfully rapping over a signature rhythmic beat that's meant to keep the feet moving. "Went from tryna pay the rent/ Used a pen on men/ And made a dent/ Yeah time and again/ Make it go top 10/ I’m not a politician and not UN," she raps.
"I think there’s a bit of a battle on the record. There is a bit of a clash, but the clash is, like, your ego and spirituality. Those are the clashes because, as a musician, you need some ego, otherwise you can’t do it. Also the genre of music that—genres I should say—is all very much like egocentric. It’s not like I’m an artist that came from gospel or something. For me, it was, like, to have that journey, and also, like, it was a significant time to discuss like Islamophobia... talking about wars in the Middle East and things like that."
MATA, the follow-up to 2016's AIM, is releasing Oct. 14 via Island Records. Listen to "Beep" and check out the album artwork below.