M.I.A. Pivots to Gospel with Surprise Album 'M.I.7'

M.I.A. has announced her seventh studio album, M.I.7, a surprise gospel project slated for release on April 17 via her OhmniMusic label. Following her 2022 release Mata, the record signals a sharp pivot toward Christianity, with the artist citing the Book of Revelation and the Ark of the Covenant as primary influences. The album features Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir across 16 tracks, structured into seven distinct musical movements. The lead single, “Everything,” pairs her signature high-energy club production with evangelical lyricism, marking a departure from the confrontational geopolitics of her earlier catalog. To accompany the release, M.I.A. is launching a fringe clothing line designed to block 10G signals, merging her long-standing interest in surveillance tech with her new spiritual focus. It is a characteristically eccentric move from an artist who remains committed to the periphery, even when exploring the most traditional of genres.