M.I.A. music is on the way, as promised by the singer herself in a teaser video she posted on social media titled “New decade, new M.I.A.” She also opened up a Patreon account where fans can pay a monthly subscription to access exclusive content and support M.I.A. in other non-music related creative projects.
“The vision for Patreon is that this year I’m going to be going on a journey, release a new record and doing other creative projects and I wanted you guys to come with me. I’m going to try something different, which is basically to open up the conversation with my fans. So come and check me, subscribe, and let’s see what we can do together.” she said in the video.
https://t.co/SMX6TZxVzq pic.twitter.com/kl3Ys0tile
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) January 31, 2020
She also spoke to Rolling Stone about the project: I’m doing a Patreon because I make so much stuff and record so many things that aren’t music and don’t fit on other platforms. I’ve tried all the other platforms and it’s like: this one is too mean and hateful, this one is too fake and self-obsessed, and this one just sells all your data to Cambridge Analytica… Hopefully, this one is going to be just right. I want to use the subscription money to feed back into the Patreon page. I want to really go and do a project that can help some people. Build a school or put on an exhibition, help upcoming artists or even build something you guys want me to build. It’s evolutionary process. I want to get back to using the internet in a positive way; I don’t want to be an influencer. I want to be a truth dispenser.”
There are two subscription tiers right now, the $5 Arular and $10 Kala. The entry-level one gives you access to “short films, clips, and video diaries” (including previously never-before-seen footage from her documentary MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A.) as well as exclusive M.I.A. art and live stream recordings, while the more expensive one grants you “early access” to posts, Q&A sessions, live streams, and “just random surprise content! It might be a song, a recipe, a manifesto, maybe I could help you with your homework.” Subscribe to M.I.A’s Patreon account here.