Kala (album)

This article is about the 2007 M.I.A. album. For the 2015 album, see Trevor Hall.

Kala
The head and shoulders of a woman wearing sunglasses and a fur hat, enclosed in a circle around which the words "Fight On!" are repeatedly written. Surrounding this are four smaller versions of the same image in negative, various brightly coloured geometric shapes, and the words MIA and KALA in capital letters
Studio album by
M.I.A.
Released8 August 2007 (2007-08-08)
Recorded2006–2007
Genre
Length47:32
Label
Producer
M.I.A. chronology
Arular
(2005) 		Kala
(2007) 		Maya
(2010)
Singles from Kala
  1. "Bird Flu"
    Released: 23 November 2006
  2. "Boyz"
    Released: 11 June 2007
  3. "Jimmy"
    Released: 1 October 2007
  4. "Paper Planes"
    Released: 11 February 2008

Kala is the second studio album by British recording artist M.I.A. It was released on 8 August 2007 through XL Recordings. M.I.A. named the album after her mother and has stated that her mother's struggles in life are a major theme of the album. It was mainly written and produced by M.I.A. and Switch, and features contributions from Timbaland, Diplo, Afrikan Boy and The Wilcannia Mob.

Initially planning to work with American producer Timbaland for the bulk of the album, M.I.A. was unable to gain a long-term work visa to enter the US. Therefore, she recorded Kala in numerous countries around the world, including India, Angola, Trinidad, Liberia, Jamaica and Australia. M.I.A. and Switch relied heavily on the digital audio workstation Logic Pro and recorded additional vocals and background sounds outside the studio environment. Kala incorporates prominent influences from South Asian music, featuring samples of Bollywood and Tamil cinema. The album draws on various styles, from funk carioca to African folk. The songs are about political themes related to the Third World, including illegal immigration, poverty and capitalism.

Kala was the best-performing album on the US Billboard Electronic Albums chart of 2007, and was certified gold by the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies in the US. It was certified platinum in Canada and silver in the UK. It spawned the singles "Bird Flu", "Boyz", "Jimmy" and "Paper Planes", the latter of which received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

The album received widespread critical acclaim and was ranked as one of the best albums of 2007 by many publications. Since its initial release, it has been included in several greatest albums lists. Renowned music critic Robert Christgau remarked that the album is his favourite of the 21st century.

  1. ^ Pitchfork Staff (2 October 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 April 2023. But for every fantasy pop triumph on Kala, there's a hidden door or three.