Congratulations are in order for M.I.A. who has been awarded an MBE during the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The West London hailing artist of Sri Lankan descent was honoured by the Queen for her “services to music”.
Known for her visually striking art, her confident and assertive delivery and her politically charged nature, the artist was born in Hounslow but spent time living in Sri Lanka and India as a refugee. M.I.A. has seen years of success as a mainstream artist; most notably with her 2008 track “Paper Planes”.
The Grammy-nominated artist continues to release music; with her last album AIM dropping in 2016 and her last single “P.O.W.A” in 2017.
The Queen’s honours list had over 1073 recipients this year and the awards were given to a wide range of individuals including foster carers, MPs, athletes, actors and musicians.
Other notable honours during the Queen’s Birthday Honours today include Bear Grylls and Sonia Watson. Sonia Watson is chief of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.
The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust aims to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed in their chosen careers by offering them skills, mentorship and other support. Sonia Watson was honoured for her work in helping young people get into architecture through her work at the trust.
For more positive news on philanthropy, click here to read about Mesut Ozil’s charitable donation which will fund life-changing surgery for 1000 children.