M.I.A.

AGE: 31
OCCUPATION: Singer
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Her caustic, catchy working-class anthem "Paper Planes" became 2008's flukiest hit single, despite its trigger-happy chorus. And her shimmying Grammy performance — delivered just a few hours before she went into labor — was a buoyant display of preg pride.

CON: "Planes" broke big thanks to a movie trailer — not radio. And she needs to chill with the all-caps MySpace screeds.

• 
• Click to Print

• Find this article at:
• https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1883644_1883653_1883835,00.html