M.I.A. Quotes
Born: July 18, 1975
M.I.A., the electrifying voice of motivation and action, forged a legacy by transforming raw ambition into unstoppable momentum. Emerging from the margins, she shattered silence with unapologetic calls to rise, rebel, and reclaim power. Her philosophy fuses urgency with defiance: waiting is a trap, and action is the only answer. Every lyric and declaration pulses with the belief that courage, not permission, drives change. Her quotes resonate because they echo the fire inside those who refuse to be passive. M.I.A. doesn’t just inspire—she ignites, demanding you move before the world tells you to.
M.I.A. Quotes (37)
"As an artist, you want to play around with mediums and see if you can get the point across in different way."
— M. I. A."In New York, everyone's really neurotic and talks about themselves all the time."
— M. I. A."I don't support terrorism and never have. As a Sri Lankan that fled war and bombings, my music is the voice of the civilian refugee."
— M. I. A."When I first came out, I was a film student, and my mom sewed clothes. I was already doing a million things then, whatever it took to survive. If I had to braid someone's hair to get one pound for my lunch money, that's what I did."
— M. I. A."When I started off in England, HMV or Tower Records would come to meetings and be, like, 'We just don't know what this genre is.' I don't really fit in between Rihanna and Beyonce."
— M. I. A."I don't consider myself a musician. I'm an artist."
— M. I. A."'Paper Planes' was an accident. It wasn't a song we made for the masses. It took two years to get popular, and there were many fights about censoring the gunshot sounds."
— M. I. A."At first, I found the music I was making really hard to find a home for. I felt like my attitude was really British, but not the actual sounds I was making. Back in 2003, when I made 'Galang,' there were no clubs that had an 'anything and everything' attitude."
— M. I. A."My father had no influence on my political beliefs, and to imply otherwise is wrong and irresponsible."
— M. I. A."I don't think immigrants are that threatening to society at all. They're just happy they've survived some war somewhere."
— M. I. A."Matangi's mantra is aim, which is MIA backwards. She fights for freedom of speech and stands for truth, and lives in the ghetto because her dad was the first person in Hindu mythology who came from the 'hood, but had gained enlightenment through not being a Brahmin."
— M. I. A."I feel like people either love me or hate me, which is good, because that was the point of what I do. The point of M.I.A. is to be - it's either to be loved or hated. At least you evoke that much of a strong opinion about music."
— M. I. A."I don't intentionally go: 'Ooh, what is provocative,' and try to do that. I just do stuff, and people go: 'Ooh, that's provocative.'"
— M. I. A."My dad grew up in a mud hut and studied by candlelight. He was 14 when he got a scholarship to Russia. He was super clever - the cleverest person. He landed in 5ft of snow, and was alone at 14, studying science and engineering. He didn't have a bed, and he slept on a table."
— M. I. A."I remember taking my demo to every dance person in London. People were like, 'We don't know what this is!' The first people to champion me were a club in Manchester."
— M. I. A."I have no ties to my dad. I had no communications with him; it didn't shape who I am or anything like that. I'm actually a product of my mom."
— M. I. A."My giving birth was nothing when I think about all the people in Sri Lanka that have to give birth in a concentration camp."
— M. I. A."In India, you see the way they embrace color in the culture - it's very celebratory of the existence of color. There's no rule of what color belongs together or doesn't belong together. They're not precious about it. It's very full-on."
— M. I. A."Me, it was always about being able to bounce around to where I wanna be. Like, with 'Arular,' people always say it's so political, but I think 50 per cent of the album is not very political at all. It's just really a shouty, shouty girl thing."
— M. I. A."I don't like the idea of spirituality done the way it's done. The only way I could understand it was through creativity, not by going to an Ashram, or finding a guru or joining a temple. I made work out of it."
— M. I. A."I was part of the generation that pushed the Internet. In fact, I broke as an artist in the U.S.A. because of the Internet."
— M. I. A."Manhattan seems pretty developed, you know what I mean? Like, it has peaked in culture."
— M. I. A."In my head, I actually think my songs are pop songs. I think, 'Damn, that's a pop song!' I can practice in front of the mirror with my hairbrush for as long as I want to. But when it finally comes out, it sounds avant-garde to people."
— M. I. A."Before the Greeks were the Tamils. The Tamils are one of the oldest civilizations that's still surviving."
— M. I. A."Madonna did amazing songs. She had an amazing sense of style, without a stylist. And she was flawed, and sometimes she admitted it. I'll fight the fight for Madonna. I think she should send me some chocolates or something to thank me."
— M. I. A."I was shot at for being a Tamil in Sri Lanka, and then, everyone was calling me a Paki in London, and I'm not even Pakistani."
— M. I. A."In 2004, I went onstage for the first time. They put a mike in my hand and pushed me out the door into the crowd. I did the three songs I had recorded and got out. It was the worst day of my life."
— M. I. A.