As far as new music is concerned, things have been mighty silent in MIA’s camp for years. The last time the British shock rapper and noted activist released an album was in 2016, when AIM came out. But today, the next chapter of MIA has been announced, with the impending release of her sixth studio album, Mata, and the arrival of the first single, “The One.”
Mata will mark the first MIA album released via her new partnership with Island Records, following a long-standing history with Interscope and XL Recordings. “The One,” sees her asserting her deification over a beat produced by Rex Kudo & T-Minus. A performance video surfaced on Twitter of MIA performing the song in front of a giant cross and backed by a children’s choir, showing the depth of the song’s vocal arrangement. On the hook, she raps in coyly auto-tuned vocals, “When you’re tryna find the one, why do you need reminding? No matter how you look at it, it’s me you keep finding.”
— r-utuf (@Papi_tragon) May 22, 2022
Listen to “The One” above and check out MIA’s upcoming tour and festival dates below.
06/01 — Grona Lund @ Stockholm, Sweden
06/02 — Heartland Fest @ Funen, Denmark
06/10 — Primavera @ Barcelona, Spain
06/11 — VYV Festival @ Dijon, France
06/12 — Marsatac Festival @ Marseille, France
06/17 — InVersion Festival @ Lyon, France
06/18 — Freemusic Festival @ Montendre, France
07/08 — NOS Alive @ Oeiras, Portugal
07/09 — BBK Bilbao Live @ Biscay, Spain
09/25 — Portola Music Festival @ San Francisco, CA