M.I.A. went on a recent rant on Instagram Live, in which she tore into the industry over how artists of color are treated. She also took at her fellow artists and Beyoncé while showing her frustration since she’s being overlooked merely because of her skin color.
M.I.A. never minced her words, and on December 1, 2024, she went live on Instagram to air her beef. She mentioned that nobody respected her contributions in the industry. “Adele and Beyoncé, they don’t give me the respect I deserve just because I’m brown-skinned,” she said. Her comment once again sparked a talking point about the ongoing fight by artists of color in an effort to get some type of recognition and respect from across all industries.
M.I.A. touched on broader issues she faced in the music industry as a brown-skinned artist. She claimed that she has had to endure lots of hardships and discrimination during her career. The industry, she says, has been trying to get her to change her looks and trying to live up to standards. “I’m not going to bleach my skin or become a witch to sell records,” she said, underlining that one would not sell out one’s identity for commercial success.
The comments of M.I.A. have taken the light from Adele to Beyoncé, to, really, the music industry, critiquing its treatment of people of color. She’s an advocate for representation, and from her platform, she tries to shake the status quo through, most often, discussing the issues of race, identity, and cultural appropriation in her work. Her latest comments just continued that tradition-seeking authenticity and representation within an industry too willing to settle for whatever moves the needle.
She then referred to how her former manager, Jonathan Dickens, had been instrumental in Adele’s early career but how Adele has constantly praised Beyoncé instead of showing her appreciation to M.I.A. for her work. To that, M.I.A. responded, “I’m 100% content, happy, and at peace with exactly how God designed it,” showing her resolve to be herself amidst struggles in the industry.
She said that there are pressures put on her in the industry-for one, Azealia Banks mentioned that M.I.A. bleaches her skin to reach a higher commercial success in sale record; basically reflecting colorism and the issues projected at an artist of color regarding their outward appearance.
Through her work, M.I.A. has spoken to broader cultural issues of appropriation and representation both in interviews and on social media regarding themes and other artists in the industry. She criticizes how artists of color are asked to speak to a landscape privileging white artists while more marginalized voices are relegated to the wayside.
Her statements often represent articulations of fidelity toward her music and an articulation of herself, to be sure. She has articulated the importance of being true to oneself, rather than commercial pressures, as she feels this can dilute an artist’s message and identity.
