the dissonant undertones of m.i.a.

If you're like me, you think M.I.A.'s extremely pregnant performance on the Grammy Awards broadcast last week was one of coolest, craziest musical numbers ever seen on television. You're also relieved that she didn't choose to top that number by going into labor right there on stage.

She's the most famous Sri Lankan musical artist I'm aware of (I don't know any others, to be honest). However, in Sri Lanka, she apparently remains virtually unknown. And some who do know her work say she's an apologist for the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels fighters in the country's long-running civil war.

I won't claim to know much about M.I.A. or her politics, outside her ability to make some really catchy, head-bopping tracks. And I know even less about the political situation in Sri Lanka. This New York Times gives some interesting background on her and the conflict: The Dissonant Undertones of M.I.A..