Mata (album)

''Mata'' (stylised in all caps) is the sixth studio album by English recording artist M.I.A. It was released on 14 October 2022 through Island Records, marking her first album release for six years. M.I.A. worked with a number of producers on the album, including Skrillex and long-time collaborator Diplo, and recorded tracks in various locations around the world. As with M.I.A.'s earlier releases, the album mixes Eastern and Western musical influences, with styles such as moombahton and bhangra incorporated into the music. ''Mata'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, but unlike her previous albums it did not enter the album charts in either the UK or US.

Background

In September 2016, M.I.A. released her fifth studio album '' AIM'', which was originally promoted as the artist's final studio album. In 2019, however, M.I.A. revealed that she had begun working on a new studio album. On 31 January 2020, she launched a Patreon page to fund new music, stating that her upcoming album was "nearly finished". On 22 March 2020, coinciding with the release of "OHMNI 202091", her first song in three years, she suggested that a new record would arrive later the same year. She released another track, "Babylon", in 2021, but there was little further news about the album.

Tracks for the album were recorded in various locations around the world, including London, Los Angeles, Italy, Bali, Jakarta, and Saint Vincent. Navz-47, an artist of Sri Lankan descent like M.I.A., provided vocals on the track "Puththi". Another track created for the album, "Tribe", featured rapper Juice Wrld, who died in December 2019, but it was dropped at the last minute. Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj were also reportedly set to appear on the album with M.I.A. claiming that she had "had to wait 2 years for heir verses.. never mind". She worked with various producers, including Skrillex, Rex Kudo, T-Minus, and Heavy Mellow, as well as Diplo, with whom she had collaborated intermittently since 2004.

Music and lyrics

As with M.I.A.'s earlier releases, the album mixes Eastern and Western musical influences. The album incorporates a range of world music styles, including moombahton on "Beep" and reggaeton on "Popular". "Energy Freq" incorporates bhangra and vocals from a Tamil film; Saeed Saeed of Abu Dhabi's '' The National'' opined that the song could be "this generation's version of 2002 hit 'Mundian To Bach Ke'." The track "100% Sustainable" incorporates a field recording of a Tamil choir. "K.T.P. (Keep the Peace)" contains a sample of the 2003 song "Maps" by rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Lyrically, "Zoo Girl" contains references to the rapper's status as a Sri Lankan refugee, calling her a "zoo girl straight out the wild, wild East". "Time Traveller" refers to the vimana, a mythical flying palace mentioned in Hindu texts.

Release and artwork

At one point, M.I.A. considered naming the album ''Ikhyd'', the name of her teenaged son. On 31 October 2021, however, she officially announced the album title through an Instagram post stating "to reflect where I am and what we want to build, I'm proud to announce starting today my LP is now ''Mata''." The post was a parody of the announcement earlier in the month that the company which operates Facebook was changing its name to Meta. In August 2022, M.I.A. officially announced that the album was scheduled to be released the following month. She revealed through an Instagram story that "If ''Mata'' isn't out in September, I will leak it myself." The album was eventually released on 14 October. The cover artwork was officially revealed on 30 September and features a cropped photograph of the artist on a multi-coloured background. The title of the album is shown as a logo with the T resembling a Christian cross; the singer had revealed earlier in the year that she had become a born-again Christian. The artwork on M.I.A.'s releases has long been known for being garish. Upon the release of the album '' Kala'' in 2007, ''The Village Voice'' commented "Maybe one day he'llmake an album cover that it doesn't hurt to look at".

Promotion

"The One" was released on 26 May 2022 as the lead single from the album along with its music video. Prior to the release of the single, M.I.A. performed it at Just Like Heaven festival on 21 May 2022 along with another upcoming ''Mata'' track "Marigold". She told Zane Lowe of Apple Music 1 in a live radio interview that the song "is just about sticking to what you are and the truth. I think, at the end of the day, that is also what this record is about to me, is still trying to find truth." "Popular" was released as the album's second single on 12 August 2022. It was announced three days prior to its release and was accompanied by a video featuring M.I.A.'s "robotic double" M.A.I. The music video for the song was released twelve hours after the song's official release. "Beep" was released as the third single from the album on 30 September 2022; the track also featured on the soundtrack of football video game ''FIFA 23''.

Critical reception

In a review for AllMusic, Heather Phares concluded that, "six albums in, M.I.A. still has a remarkable gift for tapping into the emotions behind the issues" and that by "focusing on that skill makes ''MATA'' one of her most consistent albums, and not so much a safe return as a savvy one".
Writing for ''Rolling Stone'', Michelle Hyun Kim wrote that the album "reminds listeners of the novelty of .I.A.'spioneering music style" but criticised the lyrical content, saying "Yes, M.I.A. is still here, but it's unclear whether she has anything new to say." Shaad D'Souza of ''The Guardian'' stated that the album "may be MIA's most contemplative record, recalling lyrical themes from every part of her career" but that it was "very clearly not an attempt to re-enter the mainstream pop world she was orbiting in the 2010s".

Commercial performance

The album did not chart in either the UK Albums Chart or the US ''Billboard'' 200. M.I.A.'s previous four albums had all reached number one on the U.S. Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, but ''Mata'' failed to enter the listing at all.

Track listing

Notes
* signifies an additional producer
* signifies a co-producer

Personnel

Musicians

* M.I.A. – vocals (all tracks), programming (track 3)
* Neil Comber – programming (1–3)
* Swick – programming (2, 10); bass, drums, keyboards, percussion (2)
* Dale – additional vocals (2)
* Shiera Johnpillai – additional vocals (2, 10)
* Mustafa – background vocals (4)
* Saint Raavan – background vocals (4)
* Maher Woo-Shear – bass, guitar, keyboards (4)
* Rex Kudo – keyboards, programming (6)
* Peter Lee Johnson – keyboards (6)
* T-Minus – keyboards, programming (6)
* P2J – programming (7)
* Tropkillaz – programming (7)
* Cadenza – programming (7)
* Mike Larson – programming (8)
* Boaz de Jong – bass, drums, horn, keyboards, percussion, programming (9)
* Diplo – drums, programming (9)
* Navz-47 – background vocals (10)
* Munchi – programming (10)
* Capital Children's Choir – additional vocals (11)
* Lil Uzi Vert – background vocals (13)

Technical

* Mike Bozzi – mastering
* Manny Marroquin – mixing (1, 3–8, 10, 11, 13)
* Swick – mixing (2)
* Boaz de Jong – mixing, engineering (9)
* Troy Baker – mixing (12)
* Dale Virgo – mixing (12)
* Skrillex – mixing (13)
* Neil Comber – engineering (1–3)
* Danny Omerhodic – engineering (2, 10)
* Maher Wo-sher – engineering (4)
* Cadenza – engineering (7), engineering assistance (8)
* Mike Larson – engineering (8)
* Timothy Kawa – engineering (12)
* Trey Station – mixing assistance (1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11)
* Anthony Vilchis – mixing assistance (1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11)
* Zach Pereya – mixing assistance (1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11)
* Nicole Purlvirenti – engineering assistance (8)
* Daryl Johnson – engineering assistance (8)

References

{{M.I.A.

2022 albums
M.I.A. (rapper) albums
Island Records albums