Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well…

The magnificent M.I.A. comes guns blazin’ back onto the scene in 2012 with the Danja-produced “Bad Girls,” a track originally featured on her off-the-charts brilliant 2011 mixtape, Vicki Leekx.

The accompanying Romain Gavras-directed video, which was released earlier today on Pitchfork, finds the genre-smashing British femcee getting flossy and flying free in the desert, racing dusty cars and pulling some rather insane stunts along the way. Oh…just chilling sideways on top of a moving car, you?

Whether she’s ra-ra-sis-boom-bah-ing for Madonna or just hangin’ tight off the hood of a car, M.I.A. is simply too cool for school–and I love every minute of it.

“Bad Girls” was released on January 31. (iTunes)

You probably weren’t aware of this, but Madonna has a new song and video out called “Give Me All Your Luvin (feat. M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj.)”

It’s really one of the best things you’ll see all day (if not all month, if not all year, if not ever in your life), so I’ve decided to break it down into small segments of flawlessness to get a better understanding of the inner workings of this stunning Megaforce-directed production.

And away we go…

Read more »

Watch the video for Madonna‘s “Give Me All Your Luvin” (feat. M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj)” now–full review to come shortly!

“Give Me All Your Luvin” was released on February 3. (iTunes)

Are Y-O-U ready for Madonna‘s “Give Me All Your Luvin,” featuring M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj? Get out your pom poms–it’s almost time!

Just minutes ago, the song went live on iTunes Japan (it’s not being released officially until February 3.) And now, we’ve got the extended snippet from iTunes! So far, it’s no different from the demo–aside from a better, more filled out chant (“L-U-V, Madonna!”) and the sneak peek of Nicki’s rap during the breakdown: “I’m Roman/I’m a barbarian, I’m Conan!” Mizz Minaj roars.

Although I assumed the final version would have had a bit more robust production (thus the danger of early leaks…), I still L-U-V everything about it! Bring on the full song, M!

“Give Me All Your Luvin” will be released on February 3. (iTunes)

Forget the Superbowl special guest drama earlier today–new music from Madonna is nearly upon us!

In a newly released teaser clip, we get a rare glimpse of the Queen putting in work at a NYC recording studio with Martin Solveig and M.I.A., acting sassy behind the soundboard and getting silly in the booth. Just look at Madge dorky dancing all up on Miss Maya! It’s so cool to be uncool, as a certain Icon might sing.

Plus: Hear that in the background? Yup–it’s the newly mastered version of “Gimme All Your Luvin’”! What a tease.

Get ready to take some M.D.N.A., y’all!

M.D.N.A. will be released in March. (iTunes)

Looks like working on Madonna‘s upcoming album isn’t the only thing M.I.A.‘s got on her mind lately.

The always innovative London-born singer-songwriter is currently preparing to release “Bad Girls,” the Danja-produced (Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake) cut off of her truly sensational (and free!) 2011 mixtape, Vicki Leekx. (I’m still strutting/mean mugging down the street to “Gen -N-E-Y” on a daily basis.)

The full song will premiere on Monday, January 30 on Pitchfork, while the Romain Gavras-directed video (who also did the terrifying “Born Free” ginger genocide video, eep!) will premiere on February 3 at Vice.

The official single cover for the song is featured above. Clearly, M.I.A. hasn’t let up on her love affair with her 1996 Geocities-inspired, eye-gauge worthy aesthetic as of late. Oh Maya, you controversial figure, you!

But seriously, this beat bumps hard. I’m so excited for M.I.A. to come back with power, power!

My chain hits my chest when I’m banging on the radio…

What’s that you say? Yup, Santi’s back!

Kicking off the promotion for her upcoming album with a bang (and a whole lot of dizzying doodle effects!), Santigold has just unleashed her “Big Mouth,” the first song and video from her long-awaited sophomore follow-up, Master Of My Make-Believe.

Produced by Switch & Portuguese electro-dance outfit Buraka Som Sistema, “Big Mouth” is pumped full of tribal drums, frantic electro bleeps and Kuduro rhythms, giving off big M.I.A. and Major Lazer vibes. (No surprises there–Major Lazer is the collaboration between Switch & Diplo, and M.I.A.’s worked with Buraka Som Sistema in the past.) As a result, you might even hear some of Beyonce‘s “Run The World (Girls)” and Nicola Roberts‘ “Beat Of My Drum” thrown in too!

“Got a big mouth, big mouth…you said enough!” Santi snaps during the maddeningly manic track, recalling the healthy helpng of sass delivered on Santigold‘s “Shove It.”

We already know that Santi’s a genre-hopping chameleon, so it’s difficult to make any real predictions about the sound of the new album just yet. But so far, it sounds like Make-Believe‘s going to be one mayjah dance party!

Liking what you hear? Well, good: She’s giving away for free on her official website. (iTunes)

Finally! After weeks of teasing, it’s here: The Madonna ABC News interview with Cynthia McFadden!

The first installment came with last night’s Nightline. The Queen looked ravishing and regal of course, seated in the fancy-schmancy royal suite at the Waldorf-Astoria (with a decorative pug pillow resting in the background–truly iconic) as she fielded questions from the ABC News anchor.

Aside from discussing her new film W.E., the bulk of the conversation was focused around the Queen’s personal life: Her boyfriend Brahim Zaibat, her proclivity toward younger men in general, her life as a mother (I do always love a good Lourdes tale!), etc. Don’t get me wrong–I love hearing the juicy details and all–but I’d much prefer hearing about the recording process behind M.D.N.A. than how often Brahim rubs her feet.

In the last few moments however, McFadden finally probed about her next move musically: The Superbowl performance in February. “What’s more frightening: Having your movie open or performing live at the Superbowl?” “The Superbowl, for sure,” Madonna responded. And while Madge didn’t reveal any solid details about the performance (did anyone actually think she would?), she did deliver a goosebumps-inducing little quote:

I have 8 minutes to set up my stage, 12 minutes to put on the greatest show on Earth.

She also joked about the ideas that wouldn’t work, including dropping 100 drummers from the ceiling. Clearly, she’s thinking big.

And there you have it! God, it’s so refreshing to hear her speaking again. So well-spoken, poised and honest. The final two installments will be featured on Good Morning America and 20/20 later today. (This post will be updated as those parts air!)

EDIT: The Good Morning America segment just aired! Mostly a rehash of last night’s interview, plus sneak peeks at tonight’s 20/20 segment, including…yes, The Gaga Question.

EDIT: The 20/20 segment aired last night, which you can now view below. Again, it’s mostly a rehash–except for The Gaga Question. The Queen answered with measured poise, noting that Gaga does “reference me a lot in her work,” but that she doesn’t feel that Gaga is ripping her off (“She’s she and I’m me”)–though not without a little bit of (deserved) sass when it comes to “Born This Way,” resulting in one of the most legendary shady moments yet:

It feels…reductive.

Plus, there’s an extended sequence of Madonna in the studio with M.I.A. recording a slap-happy song about being happy and shouting “Happy Birthday!” at the end. Doesn’t sound the most thrilling or genre-breaking, but watching her reduce M.I.A. into a bucket of giggles and boss her around is actually quite major.

All hail the Queen.

Read more »