Rapper. Mother. Activist. Now M.I.A. has a new title to add to her résumé: World’s Most Influential Person. The Sri Lankan artist lands on TIME magazine’s TIME 100 list for the first time, among Barack Obama and Brad Pitt.

“It’s funny to think of M.I.A. as influential, because I don’t think she ever set out to be influential,” says director Spike Jonze. “The great thing about her is that she doesn’t have some global plan. She just has things she cares about and is interested in, from all over the world.”

Watch her interview below.