Maya (M.I.A. album)

Maya
Studio album by M.I.A.
Released	7 July 2010 (2010-07-07)
Recorded	2009–2010
Genre	Avant-pop hip hop dance[1] industrial[2]
Length	41:39
Label	N.E.E.T. XL Interscope
Producer	Sugu Arulpragasam Blaqstarr Diplo John Hill Derek E. Miller M.I.A. Rusko Switch
M.I.A. chronology
Kala (2007) Maya (2010) Vicki Leekx (2010)
Singles from Maya
"Born Free" Released: 23 April 2010 "XXXO" Released: 11 May 2010 "Steppin Up" Released: 16 June 2010 "Teqkilla" Released: 29 June 2010 "Tell Me Why" Released: 6 July 2010 "It Takes a Muscle" Released: 20 December 2010 "Internet Connection" Released: 11 January 2011

Maya (stylised as ΛΛ Λ Y Λ) is the third studio album by British recording artist M.I.A. It was released on 7 July 2010 through N.E.E.T. Recordings, XL and Interscope. Songwriting and production was primarily handled by M.I.A., Blaqstarr and Rusko. Producers Diplo and Switch, alongside M.I.A.'s brother Sugu, also worked on the album. Maya was mainly composed and recorded at M.I.A.'s house in Los Angeles. The album's tracks centre on the theme of information politics and are intended to evoke what M.I.A. called a "digital ruckus"; elements of industrial music were incorporated into M.I.A.'s sound for the first time upon its release. A deluxe edition was released simultaneously, featuring four new tracks.

Upon its release, Maya received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with the album's musical style and lyrical content attracting both praise and criticism. In its first week of release, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 21, becoming her highest-charting album in the UK. It also became her highest-charting album in the US, peaking at number nine on the Billboard 200. Elsewhere, the album debuted in the top 10 in Finland, Norway, Greece and Canada.

To promote the album, M.I.A. released multiple tracks online, including "XXXO", "It Takes a Muscle" and "Born Free". The latter was accompanied by a short film-music video, which generated controversy due to its graphic imagery. She also performed at music festivals in the US and Europe to coincide with the album release. During promotion of the album, M.I.A. became embroiled in a dispute with Lynn Hirschberg of The New York Times.