M.I.7 (album)

M.I.A. released her sixth album, Mata in October 2022.^[2][3] Over the subsequent four years, she devoted much of her time to launching a clothing line which she contended could block electromagnetic waves such as 5G signals, which she erroneously perceived as harmful.^[4]

According to M.I.A., the concept for the M.I.7 album "emerged as a vision that revealed itself before the recording process began, which demanded to be followed."^[5] The album features seven songs each written over seven days in a different location.^[a][5] It was written and recorded in Ethiopia, Egypt, India, the United Kingdom, Greece, Australia, and the United States.^[5] Some of the writing and production occurred at the studio of the American producer Rick Rubin.^[5]

M.I.7 is generally categorised as a gospel album because of the references to Christianity throughout.^[6] M.I.A. had announced in 2022 that she had become a born-again Christian five years earlier.^[7] The album's structure was inspired by the seven trumpets and seven seals referenced in the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible.^[5] The final track, "30 Minutes of Silence", contains no sound for just under half an hour, reflecting the reference in Revelation to there being "silence in heaven for about half an hour" after the opening of the seventh seal;^[8] following the lengthy silence a hidden track plays to close the album.^[9]

The track "Sacred Heart" features M.I.A.'s mother, Kala, singing a Tamil Christian hymn.^[10] The tracks "Jesus" and "Calling" feature vocals from the Sunday Service Choir.^[11] "Everything" was described by Liberty Dunworth of the NME as "uplifting" and "centred around a high-energy club theme".^[12]

The upcoming release of M.I.7 was announced on 7 April 2026;^[12] the lead single "Everything" was released on the same day.^[13] The album was released nine days later via M.I.A's own label Ohmni Music.^[1] She joined Major Lazer onstage at Coachella shortly after the release of M.I.7 to perform her 2007 song "Paper Planes".^[14]

M.I.A. was announced as an opener for Kid Cudi's spring 2026 Rebel Ragers tour.^[15] During her 2 May set in Dallas, M.I.A. was booed after making a comment about potential illegal immigrants in the audience.^[16] On 4 May, Kid Cudi removed M.I.A. from the tour, saying "I won't have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase."^[17][18]

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	7.4/10[19]
Slant Magazine	[20]

Close

M.I.7 was met with mixed to negative reviews. Writing for Pitchfork, Chal Ravens gave the album a rating of 7.4, describing it as "an emotional and ecstatic testament to personal salvation".^[21] In contrast, in a negative review of the album, Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop described it as "so beneath the talent and mind that was once M.I.A."^[9] Musically, he said it was "one of the blandest projects she's ever released”, and described its production as uninspired and its lyrics as egotistical.^[9] Slant Magazine's Paul Attard wrote that "while M.I.7 positions itself at the threshold of some spiritual unveiling, the actual music rarely bears it out", criticising the album's lack of lyrical depth and unsatisfying production choices.^[22]

All track titles are stylised in capital letters.

Notes

• "30 Minutes of Silence" contains a hidden track which begins at 29:51.

Credits adapted from Apple Music^[11]

• M.I.A. – vocals, production (tracks 7, 9, 13, 15, 16)
• Thom Bridges – programming
• Kurtis Wells – programming
• Boaz van de Beatz – programming
• Danny Omerhodic – programming, engineering
• Geoff Pesche – mastering
• Ikhyd Bronfman – tambourine (track 5)

Credits adapted from Apple Music^[11]