Rapper and electronic musician M.I.A. has been releasing music—and courting controversy—for more than a decade now. From 2005’s Arular to 2013’s Matanagi, she’s drawn both praise, and occasional obstruction, for the political focus of her music, and her refusal to stay quiet in the face of the problems she sees in the world. But her next album, Aim, will apparently be taking a less confrontational focus, with M.I.A. calling it her “cleanest” album, free of unhappiness or “complains.” Also, it’s going to be her last.
That’s per an interview the artist gave to BBC Radio 1 today, where she debuted a new song, “Go Off,”featuring Blackstar and Skrillex. M.I.A. made it clear that she wasn’t swearing off music entirely—we can still expect periodic new singles, presumably whenever U.S. immigration or the NFL manages to piss her off—but that she’s done with releasing records at the moment. (After the September 9 release of Aim, that is.)