was in the works, describing it as a way “to reflect who I am, what we want to build.” Patience is key, and M.I.A. has returned not only with a new single, but with the reassurance thatM.I.A. leans into the bubbly electronic pop that she helped pave the way for on “The One.” Prickly trap-influenced production and autotuned vocals reflect the rapper’s forward-thinking approach to technology and trends that she’s been analyzing and subverting since the beginning of her incredible career.
In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, M.I.A elaborates on the song’s interesting direction: I was in a really happy place. And I know that it was the pandemic, and kind of everything was hitting the fan, but I’d got to a place that was really happy. I did want to make that nice, happy record. Almost like the record that everyone wanted you to make when you made “Paper Planes.”. . .I guess it is just about sticking to what you are and the truth. I think, at the end of the day, that is also what this record is about to me, is still trying to find truth.