The Born Free and Paper Planes (Oscar-nominated for the film Slumdog Millionaire) singer says her record company has stalled the release of her highly anticipated fourth album, Matangi, the follow-up to her 2010 international hit Maya, because it is "too positive".
The album title is a reference to her birth name, Mathangi, and a Hindu goddess of wisdom.
"It's due in April, which is the Tamil new year -- April 15th -- and I'm still working on it," she says.
"I thought I'd finished it. I finished it and then I handed the record in, like a couple of months ago ...
"At the moment, I've been told it's too positive. So we're having a bit of an issue at the label.
"They're like 'You need to like darken it up a bit'. I don't know what it is but as soon as I work that out.''
And M.I.A., the artist who flipped the bird live on TV during her performance at last year's Super Bowl, is agreeing to that?
"No, I'm taking my time to decide what they mean. It's an interesting one for me,'' she says.
"It's like 'We just built you up as the public enemy No. 1 and now you're coming out with all this positive stuff."
So why indulge them?
"Well, that's the point of being positive," she says, laughing.
omg
omg
OMG
I AM READY.