M.I.A.

M.I.A. was born on July 18, 1975 by the name Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam. The first eight years of her life in Sri Lanka was a frightening one. There was civil war in the country back then and her contact with her father was strictly limited as he went to the battle field. As the environment became unsafe, she and the rest of the family moved to India with sporadic visits from her father. In 1986, she was moved again, this time around to London as a refugee along with her family. During this period of time, she started learning English and then enrolled to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, with a degree in fine art, film, and video.

After graduating from college, M.I.A. held her first exhibition in 2001 at the Euphoria Shop in Portobello Road, London. She displayed graffiti art and spray-paint canvasses mixing Tamil political street art with images of London life and consumerist culture. One of her works impressed Jude Law who then bought it. On top of that, the exhibition was nominated for the coveted Alternative Turner Prize.