Last week, M.I.A. dropped her latest single, “Borders.” Now, she’s released a video to go with it. The “Borders” video was directed by Maya herself over the course of two months this summer, and it finds her in subdued form. The slow, purposeful clip eschews the bright and hyperkinetic imagery of much of M.I.A.’s video work in favor of a soft color palette, long shots, and gracefully composed frames of Maya interacting with refugees in several locations—all of which makes it among her most powerful visual statements.
“I want to dedicate this video to my Uncle Bala my icon and role model,” she says in a press release. “One of the first Tamil migrants to come to the UK in the ’60s. Who went on to inspire so many people as a creative daring man with so much swag that everything I do doesn’t even touch his sides. Thank you for helping my family come to England and taking us out of Sri Lanka and saving us.”
Matadatah‘s release date still isn’t known, but you can watch the “Borders” video below.
