London, Jan 10 (Inditop.com) English singer M.I.A is surprised at her success because she always felt she is a terrible singer.
The rapper, who is currently recording her third album, was always mocked for her lack of vocal talent and is known for being “tone deaf”, reports contactmusic.com.
“I used to walk down the corridor singing whatever was on the radio like ‘Wonderwall’ or whatever and I was so off. It was so bad. Everyone used to notice. I was well-known for being tone deaf at college,” she said.
M.I.A. was noticed when she released her singles – “Galang” and “Sunshowers” on the Internet in 2004. Next year, she released her debut album Arular, but it was her second album “Kala” that gained her big success. She has been nominated for two Grammy and Academy awards.
The 31-year-old, whose real name is Maya Arulpragasam, insists she never strove for stardom and is amazed how easily she achieved success in the US.
“It’s so strange because I didn’t even try. American’s got it by not getting it in a way. They have fewer preconceptions than in England. I used to try and explain my viewpoint to English people and they just didn’t understand,” she said.
“Now I’ve got this international platform and it’s so important to make a statement. It’s so rare to have anyone say anything these days,” she added.