| "Bird Flu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by M.I.A. | ||||
| from the album Kala | ||||
| Released | 23 November 2006 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | XL Recordings | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | M.I.A. | |||
| M.I.A. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Bird Flu" on YouTube | ||||
"Bird Flu" is an urumee melam-dance song by recording artist M.I.A. on her second studio album Kala (2007). It was released as a digital download in 2006 through XL Recordings under exclusive license to Interscope Records in the US. Critics noted its autobiographical lyrics "updated to the present day, where she's straddling the line between major-label success and her own crazy-ass major-label-bucking tendencies, singing she's too cool "to be a Rocawear model," whilst adding that she couldn't be a "rocker on a label"- they wouldn't have her because "...my beats were too evil."[2] Also praised was the song's utilization of the folk urumee melam/gaana and dappankuthu music, Tamil genres of music that the writer was familiar with having grown up in Jaffna.[1][3] Arulpragasam recorded the song using live drummers from temples in Chennai.[4] M.I.A. wanted to work with Tamil folk music as it gave her a sense of rhythm as a child and she wanted to draw certain aspects from Indian music that Western audiences hadn’t heard before.[5]
- ^ a b Thapliyal, Adesh (10 March 2023). "A Brief History of South Indian Kuthu and Teenmaar Music in 10 Songs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
pfbfmiawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "M.I.A." SL2UK. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ "Life in Exile". Fader. 19 March 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
- ^ "M.I.A." Exclaim!. September 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2008.