English singer, songwriter and rapper M.I.A. has released five studio albums, two extended plays, two mixtapes, thirty-seven 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.
Santi White, known professionally as Santigold, is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, Santogold (2008), received critical acclaim. Her second album, Master of My Make-Believe, was released in 2012. She released her third album, 99¢, in 2016, and her second mixtape, I Don't Want: The Gold Fire Sessions, in 2018.
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 utilizes 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 critic's poll.
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.
"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.
"Up in Flames" is a song by British rock band Coldplay for their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto (2011). It was released for radio airplay in Italy on 16 November 2012.
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012.
Fantasea is the debut mixtape by American rapper Azealia Banks, released as a free download on July 11, 2012.
Matangi is the fourth studio album by British recording artist M.I.A. It was released on 1 November 2013 on her own label, N.E.E.T. Recordings, through Interscope Records.
Heartthrob is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie pop duo Tegan and Sara, released on January 29, 2013, on Neil Young's label Vapor Records through Warner Bros. Records. Heartthrob debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 49,000 copies in its first week and securing the band's highest chart position to date. It is also the first Tegan and Sara record to chart in New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. On July 4, 2013, Heartthrob was certified Gold in Canada. As of April 2016, Heartthrob has sold 199,000 copies in the United States.
"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".
"I Was a Fool" is a song written and performed by Canadian duo Tegan and Sara for their seventh studio album, Heartthrob. Inspired by Rihanna's singles "Unfaithful" and "Umbrella", the song is about a woman who is in a troubled relationship but doing nothing to fix it, making her seem like a fool.
"Read My Lips" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Ciara for her fifth studio album, Ciara (2013). It was written by Ciara, Livvi Franc, and co-written and produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. The song was set to be released as the third single from the album, but was cancelled. To promote the album, Ciara recorded "video shorts" for some songs, including one for "Read My Lips", which lasts for 1:30.
"Livin' It Up" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Ciara for her fifth studio album, Ciara (2013), featuring guest vocals from American female rapper Nicki Minaj. It was written by Ciara, D'Mile, Wynter Gordon and Nicki Minaj, with D'Mile also producing it. "Livin' It Up" contains a portion of the composition "I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky", as performed by Kid 'n Play.
"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.
"Your Type" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen for her third studio album, Emotion (2015). She co-wrote the track with Wayne Hector, Tavish Crowe, and its producers Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk. "Your Type" is a 1980s-inspired synth-pop song about unrequited love. Initially released to digital retailers August 14, 2015 as the fourth and final promotional single leading up to the album's release, it was re-issued as the third official single on November 9, 2015. An official remix package debuted December 11, 2015. An accompanying music video was released on November 3, 2015. The song received mostly positive feedback from the critics, but was not a chart success.
"Swords" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. The track was written by M.I.A., Jerry Leembruggen, Ruben Fernhout, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Tevin Plaate and Kaushal Sahil. Leembruggen and Fernhout are part of the Partysquad, who produced the song alongside M.I.A. and Spanker. The track is centred around the sound of clinging swords, recorded during filming the music video, and was completed overnight during the singer's stay in India.
"Come Walk with Me" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. for her fourth studio album, Matangi (2013). The track was written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam and Switch, and produced by the latter. The singer first uploaded demo of the track online in April 2012, and the final version of the song was self-released worldwide as a digital download, under exclusive license to Interscope Records, on 3 September 2013. The song served as the third single from the album, and was performed the on The Colbert Report, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the 2013 YouTube Music Awards, and during the Matangi Tour. "Come Walk with Me" was met with universal acclaim from music critics.
"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, 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. 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 to positive reviews from music critics.
"Sexodus" is a song by English rapper M.I.A. from her fourth studio album, Matangi (2013). It is written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam and British record producer Switch, Doc McKinney, Illangelo, and The Weeknd are also credited due to a sample of The Weeknd's song "Lonely Star" from his mixtape Thursday. The album version of the song was noted for its "striking" similarities to a different song from the album, "Exodus". However, the single version features War Syntaire and was labelled as being "Re-Loaded With War". Before the track was recorded by M.I.A., she offered the song to Madonna.
