M.I.A. In The USA

The British rapper put out her fourth studio album, Matangi, in November. The title is a reference to the Hindu goddess Mantangi as well as a nod to her own birth name, Mathangi.

As M.I.A.’s website explains, “Once there was a girl named Matangi. This was 5000 years ago. Her father was an untouchable fearsome fighter and was a sage who gained sublime power through ascetic practice over thousands of years, and Matangi became known as a goddess of music and spoken word; she wasn’t a warrior but rather a minister sometimes referred to as the Queen of Queens. She spoke truth to power by communicating from the heart, if we’re not speaking from the heart our words are false and lack meaning.”

The site adds, “Once there was a girl named Mathangi, let’s call her Maya. … From the very beginning her music was always an explosion of color, light, heat.”

All that color, light and heat is headed to cities across North America this spring, including D.C., Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Queens and Quincy, Wash.

Here’s where you can find M.I.A.:
 
March 28 – Miami, Fla., Bayfront Park, (Ultra Music Festival)
April 25 – Upper Darby, Pa., Tower Theatre     
April 26 – Asheville, N.C., Moogfest Festival Grounds (Moogfest)
April 27 – Washington, D.C., Echostage     
April 28 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Stage AE     
April 30 – Detroit, Mich., Masonic Temple Theatre     
May 1 – Chicago, Ill., Riviera Theatre     
May 3 – Toronto, Ontario, Yonge Dundas Square     
May 4 – Montreal, Quebec, Metropolis     
May 5 – Boston, Mass., House Of Blues Boston     
May 6 – Portland, Maine, State Theatre     
May 8 – Queens, N.Y., Knockdown Center     
May 9 – Queens, N.Y., Knockdown Center     
May 24 – Quincy, Wash., Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch! Music Festival)

A$AP Ferg supports April 27 through May 9.

Presales begin Wednesday, March 26 for select dates. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, March 28.

For more information click here for MIA’s website.