Song of the Day for November 17th, 2010: "It Takes a Muscle" by M.I.A.

Today's featured song is...It Takes a Muscle, by British singer/songwriter/rapper/record producer M.I.A.  M.I.A. (actual name is Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam) originates out of Mitcham, South London, UK. She began her career as a visual artist and designer in West London and started up on the music scene in 2004, and after a couple of hit singles she was nominated for an Academy Award, 2 Grammy Awards, and a Mercury Prize. If you check out her wikipedia page HERE, you will see just how many other awards she has been nominated for and won. Her mother works as a seamstress in London, and she notes fashion and guerilla art as being big influences on her style and music. It Takes a Muscle is actually a cover recording of the original 1982-release track recorded by Dutch band Spectral Display, which M.I.A. has clearly added a reggae-style twist to. This song was released on her 3rd studio album titled Maya which was released on July 10th, 2010. The Maya album has been her highest charting album to date, as it reached #21 on the UK Albums Chart, #9 on the US Billboard 200, and #1 on the U.S. BillboardDance/Electronic Albums. Booyakasha!