Having delivered one of the defining albums of 2007, M.I.A is one of the most talked-about artists in pop today. Stuffed with politically informed dancefloor bangers, "Kala" is an album that simultaneously appeals to the cerebral and primal.

M.I.A. was born Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam in London to Sri Lankan parents. She was whisked off to her motherland at 6 months old, returning to England 10 years later as a refugee of the civil war.

In return for designing the sleeve to Elastica's "The Menace" album in 2000, M.I.A. was presented with a Roland 505 sequencer, heralding her first steps into making music.