British - Musician | July 18, 1975 -
Sri Lanka is an island off the coast of India. There's two ethnicities there; one the Sinhalese, which is the majority and the government, and the minority, who are the Tamils. That's where I'm from. And my lifetime sort of began there; I spent 10 years, and I was there during when the war started and fled as a refugee to England.
M.I.A.
GovernmentWarIndiaIslandTwo
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.
MeetingsKnowTowerStartedOff
My record label always says you shouldn't talk about money because it makes people extremely uncomfortable. Refugees can't talk about money. Rappers can talk about money; refugees can't talk about money.
MoneyPeopleUncomfortableYouTalk
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.
MusicWarSupportVoiceTerrorism
My father had no influence on my political beliefs, and to imply otherwise is wrong and irresponsible.
FatherInfluencePoliticalWrongHad
The theme of counterfeits, of those that produce and sell them, has always been part of the culture of M.I.A. When I was contacted by Versace, it seemed a great idea to invert the circle. Versace's designs have always been copied; now it's Versace that copies the copies, so those that copy must copy the copies. So this will continue.
GreatCultureCircleCopyNowWill
My uncle was the first brown person to have a market stall on Petticoat Lane in the 1960s. He worked his way up from the street. He was homeless, but eventually he got a car so he could sell from the boot. And by the 1980s, he was a millionaire wholesaling to companies like Topshop. So in a way, fashion put me in England.
CarMeHomelessFashionUncleWay
Versace designs have always been bootlegged. Now it's Versace bootlegging the bootleg for the bootleggers to bootleg the bootleg.
NowAlwaysBeenVersaceDesigns
I am the bridge between the East and the West. I don't want to abandon one for the other.
I AmBridgeWantWestBetweenEast
It is a coincidence that Mathangi is the Goddess of Music and the spoken word, which can be rap.
MusicGoddessCoincidenceRapWord
I never pigeonhole myself into any religion, but I feel it has found me. I am trying to make sense of it... the essence of the Mathangi concept.
MyselfReligionI AmMeFeelTrying
Tamils all over the world have a sense of belonging to the world itself, but our ancient roots come from India. I would like to explore India. I will keep coming back. This is the closest I can get to home.
HomeRootsWorldBackBelonging
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict M.I.A. quotes