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Conventions M.I.A for Sri Lankan-born ‘popstar’ – by Stephanie Bunbury By Stephanie Bunbury Mathangi Arulpragasam came to London from Sri Lanka as a refugee with her mother, brother and sister when she was eight. Her father, a founding leader of the Tamil Tigers, stayed to fight; the children scarcely knew him. Mouthy young Mathangi, who became Maya among her London mates, had to forge her own path. “You say, ‘OK, what is the best job to get?’ and people say, ‘To be a popstar’,” says the woman now known as M.I.A. “And so you are like ‘OK, I’m going to do that’. And then you become it. And then there are loads of problems within that.” Even in the earliest home movies scattered through the Sundance-winning documentaryMatangi/Maya/M.I.A. you can see that this little girl is itching with talent. But a talent for what? Mathangi as a young girl.CREDIT:MADMAN FILMS Mathangi went to ...

Conventions M.I.A for Sri Lankan-born ‘popstar’ Unconventional: M.I.A.CREDIT:MADMAN FILMS Mathangi Arulpragasam came to London from Sri Lanka as a refugee with her mother, brother and sister when she was eight. Her father, a founding leader of the Tamil Tigers, stayed to fight; the children scarcely knew him. Mouthy young Mathangi, who became Maya among her London mates, had to forge her own path. “You say, ‘OK, what is the best job to get?’ and people say, ‘To be a popstar’,” says the woman now known as M.I.A. “And so you are like ‘OK, I’m going to do that’. And then you become it. And then there are loads of problems within that.” Even in the earliest home movies scattered through the Sundance-winning documentary Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. you can see that this little girl is itching with talent. But a talent for what? Mathangi as a young girl.CREDIT:MADMAN FILMS Mathangi went to sleep listening to ...