mathangi maya arulpragasam

Arulpragasam--Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam better known by her stage name M.I.A., is a British songwriter, record producer, vocalist and artist.
An accomplished visual artist by 2002, she came to prominence in early 2004 through file-sharing of her singles "Galang" and "Sunshowers" on the Internet. She released her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Arular in 2005. Her second album, Kala, was released in 2007 and gained her mainstream chart success. Arulpragasam has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.
Her compositions have been noted to encompass various genres, often with political lyricism and artwork. M.I.A. has described her music style as being "other." In addition to her work as a graphic designer, providing artwork and photography for releases and as a director of music videos, she has also experimented with documentary film and in 2008 released a collection of her fashion designs. M.I.A. is the founder of the record label N.E.E.T.
"Paper Planes" is the third single from M.I.A.'s second album Kala. It is written by Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, Diplo, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. It features a guitar riff sampled from the song "Straight to Hell" by The Clash. The song placed number 17 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2007. In the summer of 2008, the song began getting significant pop radio airplay and renewed alternative radio airplay worldwide. In an interview in late August 2008, Arulpragasam described the song as being "about people driving cabs all day and living in a shitty apartment and 'appearing' really threatening to society. But not being so. Because, by the time youve finished working a 20-hour shift, youre so tired you [just] want to get home to the family".