M.I.A. Readies 'Matangi' for April

After a few delays, M.I.A. is set to make her return to music this spring with her fourth album Matangi. While known for controversy, the new material is said to have a different tone.

“It’s due in April, which is the Tamil new year—April 15th—and I’m still working on it,” Maya told the Gold Coast Bulletin during her trip to Australia.

Originally due last year, the project was delayed by her label Interscope Records. “At the moment, I’ve been told it’s too positive. So we’re having a bit of an issue at the label,” she said. “They’re like, ‘You need to like darken it up a bit.’ I don’t know what it is but as soon as I work that out.'”

Interscope was surprised by the overly positive tone on the follow-up to 2010’s Maya. “We just built you up as the public enemy No. 1 and now you’re coming out with all this positive stuff,” said M.I.A. as she described her label’s reaction.

Last January, she debuted the single “Bad Girls” and the video, which earned a Grammy nod for Best Short Form Music Video.

M.I.A. has also composed the theme music to WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange’s TV show “The World Tomorrow.”