M.I.A has just dropped a new single, titled ‘Armour’. The psychedelic, echoey track features eastern influences and abstract vocal samples. It’s been uploaded to YouTube with a lo-fi filtered video of the British-Sri Lankan musician performing while holding candles and flamethrowers.
The lyrics reference her Christian faith, after converting in 2022, with a press release for the track describing it as the artists “spiritual declaration”.
The verses include: “Holy spirit sing/ Angels with the wings/ The holy water dripping when I drink it from a spring/ And Jesus is king/ He’s got anointing/ When I’m on my knees he washes all my sins”
It’s her first new music since ‘Bells Collection’, her 2023 mixtape which featured contributions from Skrillex, Blaqstarr and Troy Barker.
The track has been released through her independent label OHMNI, which exists alongside her clothing brand of the same name, selling items that allegedly claim to “block electromagnetic frequencies” and “boost fertility” among other benefits – its most famous item is the ironically branded “tin foil hat”, said to supposedly block “99.99 per cent of Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G” from the brain.
The brand describes itself as “last frontier at preserving your privacy, autonomy, and rights over your body and your data,” and “the armour of the modern knight in the age of modern technological warfare.”
Over the past few years, the ‘Paper Planes’ hitmaker has divided her fanbase with controversial views and statements. She’s always been a socially conscious artist, speaking out against inequality and oppression of various groups, and partaking in philanthropic work.
But she’s received backlash for more recent opinions, including stating she’d rather “choose death” over a Covid-19 vaccine and pushing anti-vaxx messages. She’s also come under fire for political leanings – once an advocate for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, she backed a very different contender for the recent US presidential election, the now re-elected president Donald Trump.
Despite criticising him and his administration in 2017 as having “mental disorders”, she backed the controversial candidate during his run earlier this year. She tweeted in August that “Trump is going to ride America through the most challenging four years coming.” She also mixed religious and political rhetoric, writing that “RFK will inherit America when God is ready to replant and rebuild it righteously,” referencing Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has previously mentioned debunked claims about vaccinations.
Her new single is out on now on streaming platforms – you can listen on Spotify here.
