"Steppin Up" | ||||
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Single by M.I.A. | ||||
from the album Maya | ||||
B-side | "Meds and Feds" | |||
Released | 16 June 2010 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:01 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Rusko | |||
M.I.A. singles chronology | ||||
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"Steppin Up" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her third studio album, Maya (2010). The track was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Rusko and Switch, and produced by Rusko. The song was self-released worldwide as a digital download, under license to XL Recordings and N.E.E.T. Recordings, on 16 June 2010, [2] as the third single from the album. A different version of the song later appeared on the Vicki Leekx mixtape under a slightly altered title. [3] The song was performed during the Maya Tour in 2010 and 2011. No music video has been made for the single. The track received mixed [4] [5] to positive reviews from music critics. [6] [7]
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Dance/Electronic Digital Songs ( Billboard ) [10] | 36 |
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | 16 June 2010 | Digital download, streaming | XL Recordings, N.E.E.T. Recordings |
"Sunshowers" is a song by British musician M.I.A. from her debut studio album, Arular. It was written and produced by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Ross Orton, Steve Mackey, August Darnell and Stony Jr. Browder, with additional vocals and production by Nesreen Shah and Anthony Whiting. The song was released as the second single of the album on 7 July 2004 following the 2003 release of debut "Galang" and is M.I.A.'s first official release with XL Recordings. Released in vinyl record and CD single format, with the song "Fire Fire" serving as the song's B-side, "Sunshowers" was distributed by Interscope Records in the US.
Kala is the second studio album by British hip hop artist M.I.A. It was released on 8 August 2007 by XL Recordings. M.I.A. named the album after her mother and said her mother's struggles in life are a major theme of the recording. It was mainly written and produced by M.I.A. and Switch, and features contributions from Timbaland, Diplo, Afrikan Boy and The Wilcannia Mob.
British rapper and singer M.I.A. has released six studio albums, two extended plays, three mixtapes, forty singles and twenty-nine music videos. Born Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, M.I.A. began her career as a visual artist and film-maker, and moved into making music after filming a documentary on the band Elastica in 2001. The band's lead singer, Justine Frischmann, lent her a Roland MC-505 sequencer/drum machine which she used to make a demo tape that secured her a contract with British label XL Recordings.
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, known by her stage name M.I.A., is a British rapper, record producer, and singer. Her music combines elements of alternative, dance, electronic, hip hop and world music with electronic instruments and samples.
Tune-Yards is the American, Oakland, California–based music project of Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner. Garbus's music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and uses elements such as loop pedals, ukulele, vocals, and lo-fi percussion. Tune-Yards’ 2011 album Whokill was ranked the number one album of that year in The Village Voice's annual Pazz and Jop critics’ poll.
"XXXO" is a song by English recording artist M.I.A., released as the lead single from her third studio album, Maya (2010). The song was written by M.I.A., Charles "Blaqstarr" Smith and Cherry Byron-Withers, and produced by Blaqstarr and Rusko. "XXXO" was first released as a digital download following its world premiere on radio on 10 May 2010, and released in physical format in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2010. Two XXXO remix EPs were released alongside the single, featuring Jay-Z, SBTRKT, KickRaux amongst others on official remixes. The song's release followed the digital release of "Born Free", also from Maya.
Maya is the third studio album by British rapper M.I.A., released on 7 July 2010 on her own label, N.E.E.T. Recordings, through XL Recordings and Interscope Records. Songwriting and production for the album were primarily handled by M.I.A., Blaqstarr and Rusko. M.I.A.'s long-time associates Diplo, Switch and her brother Sugu Arulpragasam also worked on the album, which was mainly composed and recorded at M.I.A.'s house in Los Angeles. The album's tracks centre on the theme of information politics and are intended to evoke what M.I.A. called a "digital ruckus"; with the album, elements of industrial music were incorporated into M.I.A.'s sound for the first time. A deluxe edition was released simultaneously, featuring four bonus tracks.
Martine Johnson, better known by her stage name Mia Martina, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is known for her hit singles "Stereo Love", "Burning", "Latin Moon" and "Beast". Martina has received Juno Awards nominations for "Stereo Love" and "HeartBreaker", as well as a SOCAN award in 2014 for co-writing "Burning".
"Teqkilla" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her third studio album, Maya (2010). The track was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Rusko, Switch, John Hill and Cherry Byron-Withers. Production of the song was handled by M.I.A., Rusko, Switch and Hill.
The Maya Tour is a 2010 global M.I.A. concert tour performed in support of her third studio album Maya. It began on 21 September 2010 in North America and was M.I.A.'s third major global performing tour following the birth of her first child. The tour was announced on 8 September 2010, with dates for Canadian, American and European venues revealed. According to photo albums on the musician's official Facebook page, the North American leg was branded the Reboot/Reboost Tour 2010, while the Sexynsofistic8d Tour formed the European leg of her 2010 concerts. M.I.A. handled costumes and stage direction, which departed from the productions of the preceding 2007–2008 Kala Tour and People Vs. Money Tours.
"Tell Me Why" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her third studio album, Maya (2010). It was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, and Diplo, and production was handled by the latter. The song was recorded at Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica, California on Diplo's birthday in 2009. The producer admitted that "Tell Me Why" is his favorite song on the album, likening the track's sound to Wall of Sound and Motown. The song incorporates elements of Sarah Lancaster's "The Last Words of Copernicus" as performed by the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers. It was released worldwide as a digital download, under license to XL Recordings and N.E.E.T. Recordings, on 6 July 2010, as the fifth single from the album. No music video was made for the single, and M.I.A. has never performed it live.
"It Takes a Muscle to Fall in Love" is the debut single by Dutch electronic band Spectral Display, released as a single in 1982 from their eponymous debut album. It was written by members Michel Mulders and Henri Overduin, and produced by Mulders.
Vicki Leekx is a mixtape by British recording artist M.I.A. which was released on 31 December 2010. Following the release of her album Maya earlier in 2010, the artist announced via Twitter that she would be releasing a mixtape on the last day of the year, and subsequently made it available free to download. It incorporates reworked versions of tracks from Maya and new material and was reported as having been inspired by the 2010 WikiLeaks controversy, although much of its content is not politically inspired.
"Bad Girls" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her fourth studio album Matangi (2013). The song was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Marcella Araica and Floyd Nathaniel "Danja" Hills, and produced by Danja. The song was M.I.A's first release following her departure from the UK's XL Recordings in 2011, and was released through Interscope Records in the US on 31 January 2012. A shorter version of the song appeared on Vicki Leekx, a mixtape released for free online on 31 December 2010. "Bad Girls" was released as a digital download a day after its world premiere on radio and online.
Matangi is the fourth studio album by British rapper and singer M.I.A. It was released on 1 November 2013 on her own label, N.E.E.T. Recordings, an imprint of Interscope Records. M.I.A.'s longtime collaborator Switch primarily handled Matangi's production; Hit-Boy, Doc McKinney, Danja, Surkin, and The Partysquad provided additional contributions. The album was recorded in various locations around the world and featured uncredited input from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Its title is a variant of M.I.A.'s real first name and references the Hindu goddess Matangi. The lyrics feature themes related to Hinduism, including reincarnation and karma, and the music blends Western and Eastern styles.
"Bring the Noize" is a hip-hop song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her fourth studio album, Matangi (2013). The track was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Surkin, Switch, Para One and Hugues Rey, and produced by Switch and Surkin. It references Public Enemy's 1987 song "Bring the Noise" and Janis Joplin's track "Me and Bobby McGee".
"Double Bubble Trouble" is a song by recording artist M.I.A. from her fourth studio album, Matangi (2013). It is written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Ruben Fernhout, Jerry Leembruggen, and produced by DJ Punish. The track references Shampoo's 1994 hit song "Trouble", and incorporates such musical styles as reggae, trap and kuduro. "Double Bubble Trouble" was released as a promotional single in the Netherlands in 2013 and Sweden, before becoming the fifth and final official single from Matangi in 2014. The song was performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers on 13 May 2014 as well as on the 2014 Matangi Tour. The song is on the soundtrack of the 2023 movie The Marvels.
"Y.A.L.A." is a song by recording artist M.I.A. from her fourth album Matangi, released in 2013. It was released as the fourth single from the album. The track was written by M.I.A. together with Ruben Fernhout and Jerry Leembruggen of the Dutch production team The Partysquad who also produced the track.
"Internet Connection" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from the deluxe edition of her third studio album, Maya (2010). The track was written and produced by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, and Blaqstarr. Originally titled "I'm Down Like Your Internet Connection", the song was inspired by the issues M.I.A. had with her own Internet connection and a lengthy phone call with Verizon tech support. She eventually asked one of the workers to sing the lyrics down the phone, and used the recording in the final track. The song was released as the seventh and final single from the album, on 11 January 2011 as a digital download, under license to XL Recordings and exclusive license to Interscope in the USA. The EP featured remixes by artists including Flux Pavilion, Buraka Som Sistema, Huoratron and Tony Senghore.
"Space" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her third studio album, Maya (2010). The track was written and produced by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam and Christopher "Rusko" Mercer. The song was released on 12 January 2010 as a music video only, and has been known under alternative titles "There's Space for Ol Dat I See" and "Space Odyssey". The track was a protest to an article by The New York Times calling Sri Lanka the number one vacation destination of 2010, which M.I.A. found questionable and inaccurate towards the country's Civil War. Although "Space" was the first song that M.I.A. teased from the forthcoming album, it was never released as an official single. The track did, however, chart upon the release of Maya.