M.I.A. takes main stage of Coachella music fest

M.I.A. takes main stage of Coachella music fest

M.I.A. gave the main stage at Coachella her best shot. It just didn’t work out.

After a strong start, a few hiccups, and a somewhat listless finale, the Grammy-nominated new mom declared at the end of her hour-long set in the desert that “next time I’m back in the tent.”

“I want to be in the sweat,” she said.

M.I.A. had performed twice in smaller tents at the music festival, in its tenth year and one of the nation’s most prestigious.

She noted earlier, “I really don’t know how to bring it on the main stage.” And her live show staples — climbing on speakers, dancing body-to-body with the crowd — didn’t quite fit the new digs. When she tried to bring some of the audience onstage Saturday night, security guards thwarted most fans.

M.I.A. ended up on a platform above the crowd performing “Bird Flu,” and asked when it was over: “Can we get some order in the place? My baby’s waiting.” She gave birth to a son in February, a few days after the Grammys.

The Killers took the main stage to close the evening. The Las Vegas-based group, who began with their most recent single “Human,” appeared far more comfortable in the setting.

Wearing a black No Limit Records T-shirt, sneakers and jeans with Day-Glo green lining, M.I.A. performed songs from her two most recent albums and gave up the spotlight to Baltimore-based protege Rye Rye for a song. While she moved alongside Day-Glo-clad dancers for a lively opening number, she stood stiffly at other times behind a podium adorned with microphones as if at a news conference.

Roaming into the audience with help of a piggyback ride, she finished with crowd favorite “Paper Planes,” lifted to hit status by appearances in “Pineapple Express” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”

But the British-born, Sri-Lankan-bred rapper pushed back against Hollywood. She slyly referenced her status as Coachella replacement for Amy Winehouse, who canceled due to visa trouble, by singing “They tried to make me do the Oscars. I said no, no, no.”

And, she noted, “I want to let you know that just ‘cuz I did the Grammys, it doesn’t mean I’ve gone all sold out.”

Though she wasn’t embracing Hollywood, some of its regulars certainly wanted to be around for her. Zac Efron was seen ducking out of the fest’s VIP area in the afternoon Saturday, and Paris Hilton posed for pictures with her new boyfriend during Thievery Corporation’s popular main stage set just before M.I.A.

Also performing Saturday were Joss Stone, TV On The Radio, Fleet Foxes — who apologized to fans after suffering repeated technical problems — and Travis Barker and DJ AM, who had the dance tent crowd roaring at their drum-assisted remixes of pop hits.

Exact figures weren’t released but crowds at the three-day festival appear to have more than doubled the approximate 75,000 population of this community southeast of Palm Springs. Police reported 17 arrests Saturday and fire officials said two people had been taken to hospitals.

Temperatures, climbing throughout the fest, were expected to hit the high 90s on Sunday, which features the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Public Enemy, My Bloody Valentine and the Cure.

British singer M.I.A. gives birth to boy

British pop singer M.I.A., who performed at the Grammy Awards last Sunday despite experiencing labor contractions, has given birth to a baby boy, she said on her MySpace page.

The unnamed baby was born on Wednesday, and is “healthy, fine, beautiful and the most amazing thing ever on this planet,” according to her Web posting on Saturday.

The baby’s father is musician Benjamin Brewer, son of Canadian liquor scion Edgar Bronfman, chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group. The location was not disclosed.

M.I.A., 31, whose real name is Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, was born in Britain but raised in Sri Lanka, where her father agitated for an independent Tamil state. She achieved fame with her second album “Kala,” a cross-cultural mishmash of beats, slogans and lyrical drama. Her ubiquitous single “Paper Plane,” which incorporates elements of an obscure Clash track, received a Grammy nomination for record of the year.

M.I.A. says Grammys could be labor intensive

M.I.A.’s planned performance at the Grammys might be more labor intensive than most.

The pregnant rapper is nominated for two Grammys, including record of the year for her hit “Paper Planes.” She could give birth to her first child at any moment. Yet she has agreed to perform during the Grammy telecast, to be aired live on CBS on Sunday.

M.I.A. said she’d been asked to perform with Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West and Lil Wayne on the Grammy-nominated “Swagga Like Us,” which is based on a sample of “Paper Planes.”

But in a recent interview, she admitted that she worried such a performance “might induce labor.

“When I read these books on childbirth they are like, ‘If you want to induce labor, try having a game of arm wrestle with your friend.’ I am like, ‘Oh my God, my option isn’t an arm wrestle — it’s like being onstage and with Jay-Z and Lil Wayne and Kanye and T.I.’ To me that is really exciting, to be a nine-month pregnant woman,” she said.

M.I.A. has had a lot of excitement already in the past year. Not only is she due to give birth to her child with fiance Benjamin Brofman and nominated for Grammy awards, she was nominated for an Oscar for her song “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” which she wrote with A.R. Rahman.

“It was literally like day by day, you know somebody is like ‘You have been nominated for a Brit (Award), and then it was like ‘You are nominated for an Oscar’ and it was like … I was just really confused by it all,” she said.

Besides dealing with all the awards hoopla, the 31-year-old is working on a new album as well as producing her new artist, Rye Rye.

M.I.A. — who says she doesn’t know the sex of her baby but calls it “he” anyway — said the baby is already a fan of what it’s been hearing.

“Every time I go for an ultra scan the baby is like in crazy positions with legs star-shaped and stuff. It’s not like in a baby position at all,” she said. “I feel like he is used to base lines and beats and receptive to that, which is cute.”

Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, M.I.A. Added To Grammys

Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, M.I.A., Smokey Robinson, Robin Thicke, Allen Toussaint and Terence Blanchard have joined the performance lineup for Sunday’s Grammy Awards at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

In addition, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Mayer and Keith Urban will join forces for a tribute to rock and R&B pioneer Bo Diddley, who died last year.

Blink 182 will present an award at the event, marking the rock trio’s first public appearance since 2005. Also new to the presenter roster are Kate Beckinsale, Natalie Cole, Zooey Deschanel, Diddy, Morgan Freeman, Green Day, Dwayne Johnson, John Legend, Leona Lewis, LL Cool J, Jason Mraz, Emily Procter, LeAnn Rimes and will.i.am.

As previously reported, the Grammys will feature performances by Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift, Estelle and Kanye West, Adele, Chris Brown, Sugarland, U2, Kid Rock, Rihanna, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Paul McCartney (with Dave Grohl on drums), Katy Perry, Radiohead, T.I. and Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, and the quartet of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West.

There will also be a Four Tops tribute featuring surviving member Duke Fakir with Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo.

M.I.A. feat Swizz Beats, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Jim Jones, 50 Cent, Bun B & Trey Songz - Paper Planes Remix

Sick Fuckin Remix! Grab this ASAP! You can hear it on DJ Willis - Mix of the Year - Part I (or below) 10/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

M.I.A. - What I Got

Wow is this track strange. 2/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

M.I.A. feat Timbaland - Come Around

I was a big fan of this track when I heard it for the first time, and had a feeling it would be released as a single. Well here it is, and i’m still feelin it. 8/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

M.I.A. feat 50 Cent - Paper Planes Remix

You don’t get much of 50 on the remix. Still waiting for a bangin remix of this. 5/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

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